Final answer:
After the Civil War, Southern states enacted Black codes to preserve the racial hierarchy and restrict the rights of freed African Americans. These laws limited basic civil rights and forced many back into exploitative labor arrangements. Congressional action, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and subsequent amendments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Special Laws Passed by Southern State Governments After the Civil War
Following the Civil War, the reconstituted governments of the southern states enacted Black codes to maintain the social and economic structure of racial slavery, despite the Thirteenth Amendment.
These discriminatory laws restricted the rights of newly freed African Americans, depriving them of rights such as voting, jury service, land leasing, and weapon ownership.
The Mississippi vagrant law is a notable example, where freedmen could be arrested, fined, and potentially hired out for labor without payment if unable to provide proof of employment.
This legislation formed a basis for future segregationist policies known as Jim Crow laws, contributing to generations of economic and social inequality.
In response to these oppressive laws, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to establish the citizenship of African Americans and combat the Black codes.
Despite a presidential veto, Congress overrode the veto, asserting the federal government's right to protect citizens' rights.
This legislative action set the stage for further constitutional amendments, like the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, aimed at securing civil rights and suffrage regardless of race or previous servitude.