African American Struggle During The Reconstruction Era

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Throughout American history African American had played a big role in the economy. By having slaves performing free labor in the South, farmers and plantation owners were able to profit from their crops in exceeding ways. With this free labor, a social system was put into place in America in which had slaves on the bottom. Due to this African Americans had to face years of racism. Despite the end of slavey in 1865, African Americans continued to face discrimination, lack of opportunities and equality, which lead them to seek solutions in the civil rights movement which began in the 1960s. The American economy depended on slavery to provide income, even though it was inhumane, and raciest. Slavery in America began when in 1619 when the first …show more content…
Even though slavery in America had ended, for many years after the war African Americans still had many struggles. The Reconstruction era was a, “Tumultuous period in which the 11 Southern states that seceded before or at the start of the Civil War were brought back into the Union.” The reconstruction time was made to bring the nation back together under one government. Radical Reconstruction began in 1867, and gave African Americans a voice in government for the first time in American history. This did upset many Southern states but it was not until “The Freedmen 's Bureau was authorized to administer the new laws and help blacks attain their economic, civil, educational, and political rights” that citizens became very angry. The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 also made citizens enraged . This act “Divided the Confederate states, except for Tennessee, which had been re-admitted to the Union, into five military districts.” Each State in the South was required obey the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution, which gave all men equal rights. While this did upset many people the US Congress failed to secure land for African Americans, and without having any land to make a profit off of they were still at the mercy of the people who once owned them. It was not until Ulysses S. Grant came into office that African Americans had a strong ally. Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States. Before his presidency he commanded the Union army during the Civil War. He is an Ohio native, and graduated from West Point. When Grant entered the White House, it was in the middle of the Reconstruction era. His main focus during his time was to reconnect the North and South, while protecting the African Americans. Grant was also a supporter of the 15th Amendment which he signed in 1870. He also was trying to limit KKK activity and, “At various times,

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