How did emancipated slaves exercise their freedom?

Answer 1

The Reconstruction Period, although short-lived, showed gains for African Americans in citizenship, voting, education, and politics.

The emancipated slaves were glad to be free. At first a few took important positions in local government. That did not last. Strong opposition ended it. Still, most stayed close to their old homes. They had nowhere to go. They could neither read nor write. They did not have basic job skills other than farming and did not have the skills in the legal area to establish a farm. It would be their children that would leave the farms to move to the cities of the south and the north and to the factories of the industrial revolution. The industrialists wanted 20 year olds, not 40 year olds to work in their factories, so the faithful old slaves who could not find other work, stayed on the old farms. While a number of black people went north, a number stayed in the south. Those in the south worked for money. They still worked hard long hours, but they got paid. They could take days off. They now got every Saturday and Sunday off.

Answer 2

When the slaves were first freed, they had no place to stay, because America was still segregated. Most opened their own stores. Some African-Americas actually kept doing the same jobs they had as slaves, although they got paid for it. Many maintained house-holds, worked on farms, or looked after young children.