Looking Back: Changes in Society for African Americans after the Civil War

By: Leah Jenkins, Assistant Researcher

The end of the Civil War in 1865 marked the beginning of Reconstruction. The Federal Government introduced several constitutional amendments that extended rights to African Americans. The 13th Amendment (1865) outlawed slavery, the 14th Amendment (1868) extended citizenship to all born within the United States, and the 15th (1870) protected the voting rights of citizens regardless of race. The protections offered by the three amendments allowed African Americans to vote, acquire land and seek their employment.

Despite federal protectionist laws, states reversed many accomplishments through state and local law. Introduced in 1877, Jim Crow law codified racial segregation. Intimidation, convoluted language, and segregation successfully barred African Americans from voting, assimilating into white spaces and legitimized racism. All “White spaces” appeared, and public works like water fountains, swimming pools, restaurants, schools and neighborhoods were segregated. “Separate but equal” was utilized in an attempt to justify segregation, but utilities supplied for African Americans were often inadequate and faulty. Survival under Jim Crow was different than enslavement. Those who challenged or were suspected of challenging Jim Crow were often met with physical violence or jail time. For nearly a century, Jim Crow dictated and dominated American society.

References:

• https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/reconstruction.html#:~:text=After%20the%20Civil%20War%2C%20with,former%20owners%2C%20seek%20their%20own

• https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/reconstruction/a/life-after-slavery

• https://www.nps.gov/subjects/africanamericanheritage/reconstruction.htm

• https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/what.htm