Segregation became common in Southern states after the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Reconstruction followed the Civil War (1861-1865). During Reconstruction, Republican governments in the Southern states were run by black people. The Reconstruction governments had passed laws opening up economic and political opportunities for black people. However, by 1877, the Democratic Party had gained control of government in the Southern states. These Southern Democrats wanted to reverse black advances made during Reconstruction. To that end, they began to pass local and state laws that said certain places were "For Whites Only" and others for "Colored". Black people had separate schools, transportation, restaurants, hospitals, and parks. Usually, they were not as good as the white-only places. Over the next 75 years, Jim Crow signs went up to separate the races in every possible place.