To what extent did the position of African Americans
improve in the years 1865 to 1877?
1865 and 1877 marks the period of Reconstruction after the end of
the Civil War, with the aim of uniting the North and South securing
the rights of the newly freed slaves. Although by the end of this time
period significant progress had been made, there was definitely a
feeling of incompletion, cut short by the Compromise of 1877. The
goals were to ensure citizenship and civil liberties, ensure political
enfranchisement and open up opportunities to the former enslaved.
Overall, their position improved to a certain extent, compared to a
life of slavery their conditions were infinitely improved, but equality
was still to be reached, and unfortunately wouldn’t be until almost
100 years later.
The Government sought to improved lives most prominently through de
jure legislature, such as the ratification of the 13th, 14th, 15th amendments,
and the civil rights acts of both 1866 and 1875. The 13th Amendment
(1865) abolished slavery, ultimately making the largest improvement in
the lives of African Americans: outlawing the ‘particular institution’ of
slavery. The 14th Amendment (1866) granted voting rights, a key part of
citizenship, as it gave the newly freed slaves the opportunity to change
their political systems; the 15th Amendment then aimed to then defend
this right to vote, forbidding states and federal government to deny
suffrage to any citizen on account of “race, color, or previous condition of
servitude”. However, states still fought back to protect their states rights
regarding civil rights. This is shown through both the Slaughterhouse
cases (1873), which argued that the 14th Amendment applies to United
States citizenship, not states, and United States V. Cruikshank (1876)
which argued that voting rights remained a state prerogative unless the
state itself violated those rights. This shows that although a huge
advancement was taken in the sense of citizenship and enfranchisement,
it was only partial. State laws were used to disenfranchise African
Americans: poll tax (property qualification), literacy or understanding
tests, and limited use of grandfather clause. The right to vote is not truly a
right if manipulated or forced to vote for a certain party.
In terms of economic opportunities, the government seemed to initially
put measures in place to help African Americans start a life for
themselves. This includes the Freedmen’s Bureau (1865), which settled
thousands of African American families on land; and by 1900 Black land
ownership rose to as high as 20% in some states. Most Southern cities
boasted active African American business districts by the 1890s, as well
as other employment opportunities through the railroads and mining.
Regardless, much of this success was due to individual’s hard work and
determinism, as the government appeared to just set up the legislature
that they deemed necessary and then leave them to it shown as the
Republican Party shifted towards an emphasis on industrialisation by the
