How did the policies of the reconstitution era affect African Americans?

Answer 1

I think you are referring to the Reconstruction era, a period of time after the civil war ended, lasting from 1865 to about 1877. While the good news for southern black people (then called "Negroes") was that slavery had been abolished, the bad news was that bigotry and discrimination lived on. At first, there were many freed southern blacks who saw the reconstruction with great hope; they believed they would finally attain equality. The Freedman's Bureau was established by congress, and it was tasked with making sure black people were protected in areas such as work (for which they now had to be paid), and education. Many former slaves were eager to study, and a number of new schools (many founded by Christian missionary societies) opened up, including some black colleges that trained future teachers, nurses, doctors, businessmen, and members of the clergy. Thanks to the 14th amendment, black males were now considered full citizens. They could vote, and some even ran for office. By some estimates, as many as 1,500 black men were elected-- some at the local level, but there were sixteen who were elected to congress for the first time. Hiram Revels, from Mississippi, became the first black senator in 1870.

However, as I said earlier, bigotry and discrimination had not gone away. Many southern whites were angry and resentful about the gains the freed blacks were making, and soon, laws to limit equal opportunity began to get put into place. By the 1880s, many southern states had severe restrictions that limited the number of black men who could vote or run for office. There were also secret (and not so secret) racist societies emerging, including the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan; these white men intimidated blacks and prevented them from voting, as well as threatening them with violence if they refused to return to a subordinate status. There were other laws put into place at the state level that limited the professions blacks could enter, as well as restricting where they could live or go to school. By 1896, segregation had become the law of the land, even upheld by the US Supreme Court.