How Did African Americans Change Socially

The period of time after the Civil War needed to rebuild the South is known as Reconstruction. During this time, African Americans went through a lot of changes. This was a period of Segregation. Segregation is the separation of whites and blacks in both public and private places. Jim Crow laws were introduced during this time. These laws discriminated against African Americans. The lifestyle of African Americans was changed economically, socially, and politically because of them.

African Americans lifestyle was changed economically during the time of Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws. Many African Americans were finally freed, however, without their own land, they were unable to grow crops. Growing crops were vital, as they provided food for families, and could be sold to produce revenue. Many former slaves were forced into becoming sharecroppers because of the strong need to grow crops. In this system, landowners divided their land and assigned each head of the household a few acres of land, along with some tools and seeds. This allowed families to keep a share of their crops, which could be used for food and to collect revenue. Not only did the lives of African Americans change economically, but they also changed socially. …show more content…
African Americans had to follow many informal rules and customs, along with their share of formal discrimination. These rules were called Racial Etiquette. They regulated the relationships between whites and blacks. These laws would belittle and humiliate African Americans in more cases than not. They deemed African Americans of second class status. Some examples of Racial Etiquette was that blacks always had to yield the sidewalks to white people. African Americans also had to remove their hats to whites, and the two races would never shake hands. African Americans lives were also changed