Function Of Reconstruction

After the Civil War the events of the Reconstruction period did change thing slightly for African American slaves. However, thing did not happen as many slaves hoped. Some black military men rejoiced with the Union on their defeat of the Confederates. In some parts of the country former slaves held parades to commemorate their freedom and victory. Some former slaves such as Robert Smalls was bold enough to sail into the Charleston Harbor on boat that he had seized from the Union early in the war. He later had changed sides of the war end joined the Union Army. The slaves thought that the Proclamation and the end of slavery would bring a new reality to their situation and they would be able to flourish in American life as free men. The passage of the Thirteenth …show more content…
This part of the government would help the slaves find work, supply them the necessary tools need to function and give them lands in the southern part of the country. They also help the former slaves with education, hospitals and legal services. Troops were sent to the south to help with the political climates in the area. The need was so great that the Bureau was renewed in 1866. The Freedman encouraged white farmers to start farming their lands again. This led to giving black people jobs know as sharecropping. The premise behind this new owner-tenant relationship was black people would farm the lands of the white owners and share in the profit. However, many times the former slaves would be exploited and often did not turn a profit during this endeavor. Black codes enabled white owners to bring charges against the share croppers when they broke contracts they would be imprisoned. These former slaves would be forced to work for free during the time they were in prison and the money made be given to the state. Even the Freedman Bureau decided not to intervene in this terrible