| Even though Lincoln had issued his Emancipation
Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and the Civil War had ended,
Southern states were still opposed to giving the African Americans
equal rights. Many felt that slavery should still be practiced. In
fact, the Civil War had mainly been over the secession of states
from the Union until Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
African Americans became the targets of a number of groups that
promoted bigotry and violence. These groups, some of which are
well-known even today, formed after the end of the Civil War. They
included the Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the White
Camellia.
One of the biggest struggles that African Americans had to
endure was getting the right to vote. They were faced with poll
taxes, literacy tests, and other forms of discrimination. Many
whites who could not pay the tax or could not read or write were
still allowed to vote.
Jim Crow laws and Black Codes restricted blacks from getting
equal opportunities in the South. African Americans were not
allowed to use the same facilities or participate in the same
activities as whites. Many of these laws were enforced until the
1960's.
As the U.S. began a long process of reuniting and rebuilding a
torn nation, the period of Reconstruction continued for twelve
years. During this time, a Freedmen's Bureau was established to
help African Americans find employment. While Lincoln and his
successor Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) wanted to promote feeling of
forgiveness towards the former Confederacy's states, Radical
Republicans in the Congress wanted to punish the South. Johnson
pardoned many of the South's officials, and many went on to serve
in Congress.
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