The idea that everything for African Americans was completely perfect during the Reconstruction Era is completely false. Even after the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the passing of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments, African Americans still had fewer rights than white people.
In 1865, the 13th amendment was granted, which abolished slavery throughout the United States. Three years later, the 14th amendment was granted, which guaranteed the rights and security of the freed people. Lastly, the 15th amendment was ratified in 1870, which prohibited the government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Not everyone agreed with these amendments. Therefore, southern states decided to find a loophole through the 10th amendment, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." From this, the "black codes" were issued. The black codes were intended to keep blacks in a state similar to slavery. The codes from state to state varied, but some restrictions included: limiting their right to vote, limiting their right to buy property, preventing them from sitting in juries, and limiting their right to testify against white men. So African Americans were given rights, but in a sense, those rights were taken away in some way.
Due to the black codes, slaves were put into an unjust and troublesome position. They had to make a living somehow. Therefore, sharecropping began. Sharecropping was when freed slaves had the opportunity to remain on their former master's plantation. They were given a plot of land and were allowed to farm. However, about half of what they harvested had to be given to their masters. Not only that, they had to pay for tools and themselves. This caused them to make barely any money and put them into debt. Sharecropping was a way for the white men to keep a control over the black men's freedoms.
By 1955, the Civil Rights Movement began and lasted thirteen years. Thirteen years for African Americans to gain equal rights and to not have them taken away. Throughout these thirteen years, African Americans were still highly discriminated against. They were still restricted from voting and witnessed and experienced many vicious crimes. In addition to that, segregation was a big problem. Everything that was a part of the public was segregated. There were white schools, black schools, white water fountains, black water fountains, white benches, black benches, white restaurants, black restaurants, etc. In addition to that, white people were given better quality schools, equipment, everything. It wasn't fair. The Ku Klux Klan, a.k.a. the KKK, planned scare tactics to keep African Americans from fighting for their rights. Many of those scare tactics worked. However, there were African Americans who were not afraid, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.
During Reconstruction, African Americans may not have fought as hard for their freedoms, but when it came time for the Civil Rights Movement, they pushed the limit and kept fighting. All-in-all, African Americans fought for over a hundred years for their equal rights. They stood up and proved to the white society that they are human beings and should be treated equal.
Sources:
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1966, By. "African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955รข€“1968)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Oct. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African-American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955–1968)>.
