On May 1, 1867, the Reconstruction era entered a pivotal phase as General Philip H. Sheridan ordered the registration of voters in Louisiana, marking one of the first large-scale efforts to enroll Black men as citizens and participants in U.S. democracy. Under the Reconstruction Acts, newly freed African Americans were granted the right to vote, and military governors oversaw the process to ensure fair implementation across the former Confederate states. Voter registration in Arkansas began shortly after, and by the end of October, over 1.36 million voters—Black and white—had been registered across the South. This moment laid the foundation for the rise of Black political power during Reconstruction, including the election of Black legislators and public officials.