The “new birth of freedom” for African Americans, addressed by Lincoln’s Gettysburg address did not held true for African Americans during the 19th century. After the Civil War, African Americans did not have the freedom they were supposed to be given because of political, social, and economical reasons. African Americans did not have the freedom to do what they wanted because they were targeted. Socially, African Americans were tied to rules they had to obey or else they would of been punished harshly. After the Civil War, southern states passed laws that restricted African American’s rights. The laws were called Black Codes. One example of the Black Codes was that there was to be no public meetings of African Americans should be allowed
