Final answer:
African Americans gained legal freedom during Reconstruction, but faced violent resistance and lacked true equality in practice. The Civil War Amendments introduced basic protections, though the struggle for de facto equality persisted.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the era of Reconstruction, African Americans gained their legal freedom and the Civil War Amendments aimed to introduce basic protections for them, including citizenship and equality under the law. These amendments laid the foundations for African Americans to push for social, legal, and political rights, although the realization of these rights in practice was met with severe resistance. Reconstruction was a period of both revolutionary change and violent backlash, where African Americans and their allies worked towards the promises of 'all men were created equal,' but white Democrats allowed only legal freedom without true equality. The civil rights movements later arose to challenge ongoing discrimination and social inequalities. While African Americans were legally free, the struggle for de facto equality continued well into the 20th century, indicating a distinction between legal provisions and their enforcement or acceptance in society.