Question

Were African Americans free during Reconstruction? It needs to have a claim (answering the question), support your claim with evidence from at least two sources, and make the connection to the freedoms and rights of all Americans during the late 1800s and the freedoms and rights for all Americans present day.

Answer 1

African Americans were technically free during Reconstruction as slavery was abolished, but their freedom was limited. They gained legal rights, but faced discrimination and violence that suppressed those rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

During Reconstruction, African Americans were technically free from slavery, as it was abolished by the 13th Amendment. However, their freedom was limited and they faced significant challenges in achieving full equality. While they gained legal rights such as citizenship and the right to vote with the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments, these rights were often suppressed through discriminatory practices such as Jim Crow laws, segregation, and violence.

One source (¹) explains that African Americans played a crucial role in shifting the meaning of the Civil War, making it about emancipation, freedom, and citizenship. Another source (2) highlights that while African Americans and Radical Republicans fought for the realization of equality and rights for all, resistance and animosity led to the collapse of Reconstruction, leaving limits on human freedom that endured for many years.