Reconstruction: After the Civil War
The Civil War was a war fought in the United states between the Union and the Confederacy. The war was being fought over the tension on slavery. The south wanted to keep slavery alive while the other states where fighting for the freedom of enslaved colored people.
https://historycollection.com/6-reasons-north-won-civil-war/
The south ended up losing the Civil War. This lead to slavery being abolished, and almost 400 million enslaved people were freed. President Abraham Lincolin signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which was a legal document freeing slaves. This was a time of change and hope for people of color. However people of color still faced a lot of hardships throughout the following years to come. Some of these being hunger, economic depression, lack of housing, and isolation from not finding their family members who they were separated from as a result of slavery.
Abraham Linclon was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865. This caused Vice President Andrew Johnson to be sworn in as President. He was from the South, but put into place the Freedmen's Bureau, an organization that took away land from confederates from the South and gave it to newly freed slaves. However, a lot of question arose during this time like education, segregation, and transportation for people of color still being an issue.
https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws
Soon after this organization was made, the Jim Crow Laws were put into place. This caused extreme segregation. It also forced people of color to get jobs with white employers. It caused families to continue to be separated, to have to move, and experience even more pain.
https://www.eater.com/2014/12/15/7393917/50-years-ago-supreme-court-ended-segregation-restaurants
Even though there was a lot of progress made towards equality for African Americans. There was still hate out in the world for them. Organizations were formed solely on the premise of hate, and committed crimes towards people of color. One of the most recognized organizations was the KKK. African Americans still had a long road ahead of them to obtain equality, however the end of the Civil War was a turning point for them.
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