Reconstruction Era Dbq

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During the era after the Civil War, the Reconstruction era, did African Americans really gain their freedom? There is a lot of controversy on whether they did or did not gain their independence. The African Americans during that time period were treated badly though they were still considered free.
The trial of Plessy vs. Ferguson was a widely known and highly debatable hearing. On April 13, 1896 a ⅞ caucasian male named Homer Plessy was tried. The reason was for sitting in a “white” train car. People say that the train cars were “equal but separate”. They also said that that “segregation doesn’t discriminate African Americans”. Eventually John Ferguson won the trial and Homer Plessy was sentenced to jail time.(Document N)
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