After the Civil War, the South underwent Reconstruction in hopes of making the lives of former slaves better. Some of the goals included giving former slaves citizenship, civil liberties, education, and jobs.
The goals were achieved to an extent with the help of Civil Right Acts and constitutional amendments which outlawed public discrimination and gave African Americans the right to vote. However, racism still existed making life for former slaves difficult. For example, the Ku Klux Klan and other groups used violence against African Americans, and rules prevented African Americans from voting for who they wanted.
