The end of the Civil War left many in hope for new changes, however things did not go as planned. Many people during the Civil War and its Reconstruction struggled to achieve freedom and equality because of social and political racism. Goals by Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were not met, as what they hoped to achieve had not been fixed, it only continued in to the time of Reconstruction. Lincoln hoped to unite the nation during his presidency ,however after the Civil War the qualities of a united country were far from met. Douglass wanted to achieve equality not only for African Americans but for women as well, yet this was not accomplished as the inequalities prolonged. Instead of rebuilding the nation after the Civil War, the Reconstruction
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However when Lincoln was assassinated, reconstructing the U.S took a different path. Slavery was abolished but former slaveholders found ways to reinstitute the horrid acts of slavery. Though they were “freed”, African Americans still dealt with the discrimination from white people, and never given true freedom. A former slave directly tells us his experience with being a freed slave during Reconstruction,“In September I asked the boss to let me go to Shreveport. He said, "All right, when will you come back?" I told him "next week." He said, "You had better carry a pass." I said, "I will see whether I am free by going without a pass"(Not Free Yet). Ex-slaves were forced to carry passes given to them by their former masters wherever they went. In this quote, Henry Adams a former slave, shares his story of his struggle for freedom. Technically he was given freedom with the Emancipation Proclamation but risked being killed if he ever left his masters house. The Emancipation Proclamation did not grant freedom, it only angered white slave holders which led to harsh beatings and death. They would convince blacks to stay with them and sign a sharecropping contract that required hard labor (PBS). Frederick Douglass fought for the rights of African Americans; but it was evident that his goal was not met. During Reconstruction, racism remained a big issue where blacks were still inferior to whites. Freedom was made nearly impossible with the many restrictions for
However when Lincoln was assassinated, reconstructing the U.S took a different path. Slavery was abolished but former slaveholders found ways to reinstitute the horrid acts of slavery. Though they were “freed”, African Americans still dealt with the discrimination from white people, and never given true freedom. A former slave directly tells us his experience with being a freed slave during Reconstruction,“In September I asked the boss to let me go to Shreveport. He said, "All right, when will you come back?" I told him "next week." He said, "You had better carry a pass." I said, "I will see whether I am free by going without a pass"(Not Free Yet). Ex-slaves were forced to carry passes given to them by their former masters wherever they went. In this quote, Henry Adams a former slave, shares his story of his struggle for freedom. Technically he was given freedom with the Emancipation Proclamation but risked being killed if he ever left his masters house. The Emancipation Proclamation did not grant freedom, it only angered white slave holders which led to harsh beatings and death. They would convince blacks to stay with them and sign a sharecropping contract that required hard labor (PBS). Frederick Douglass fought for the rights of African Americans; but it was evident that his goal was not met. During Reconstruction, racism remained a big issue where blacks were still inferior to whites. Freedom was made nearly impossible with the many restrictions for