African Americans During The Era Of Reconstruction Dbq

After the Civil War the United States began to reconstruct. Out of many problems that occurred the largest problem that occurred was how slaves were supposed to be free, but were treated otherwise. So did African Americans really gain their freedom during the era of Reconstruction? No, they did not. There are many examples of how slaves did not gain their freedom during the era of Reconstruction. One example of this is Black Codes. Black Codes were restrictions put on African Americans. Every area had different Black Codes, but some of the commonly used ones were African Americans couldn’t marry white men or women, couldn’t come within certain distance of a city, and couldn’t have public meetings with white men or other African Americans. Some others were African Americans could only work for white men, couldn’t own houses, and could be whipped if they were under 18 years old. Lastly, many African Americans weren’t allowed to carry any weapons. This Black Code clearly violates the second Amendment in which it states that the everyone has the right to bear arms. If African Americans were really equal then they would have been able to do all things that white men could. ( Doc. b,k ) …show more content…
One of the most memorable groups to create violence toward African Americans was the Klu Klux Klan. Some of the things that the Klu Klux Klan did were bomb African American schools, burned crosses, and staged rallies. However they also staged parades, and marches. About ten percent of African American legislatures elected during the 1867-1868 Constitutional Convention became victims of this violence. One of the Klu Klux Klans major goal was to defeat radical reconstruction and bring back white dominance in the South. ( Doc. q