There weren't many immediate effects. Most of the changes came rather sluggishly, as a lot of Southerners were unwilling to release their slaves. The Union army marched through the South, liberating many of the blacks. Eventually, however, the Southerners came to accept that they had to let the slaves go, and declare them free men. They began living their own lives, developing their own culture, and working for more rights. They also pushed for education, they saw that the best way to integrate into society was by putting their children in schools so that they could
