Final answer:
During Reconstruction, southern states implemented Black Codes to restrict freedmen's rights, including property ownership, travel, voting, and contracts. Post-war acts like the Freedmen's Bureau and Civil Rights of 1866 were subverted, leading to disenfranchisement and quasi-slavery via vagrancy laws and the convict-lease system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Restrictions on Freedmen During Reconstruction
After the Civil War, during the period known as Reconstruction, southern states enacted a variety of laws aimed at controlling the newly freed African American population. These laws, commonly referred to as Black Codes, were designed to limit freedmen's rights and maintain a labor force akin to slavery. Freedmen encountered severe restrictions, including limitations on property ownership, constraints on travel, suppression of voting rights, and the regulation of work contracts.
Despite the introduction of the Freedmen's Bureau and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which sought to grant former slaves rights such as voting and holding public office, the actual implementation of these rights was fraught with obstacles. Southern officials circumvented constitutional amendments through these discriminatory codes. Disenfranchisement and segregation were enforced, and Jim Crow laws later perpetuated systemic racism. Moreover, vagrancy laws allowed for the unjust arrest of African Americans, thrusting many into the convict-lease system, further entrenching a cycle of oppression and forced labor that prevailed into the 20th century.
In conclusion, the Reconstruction era saw federal efforts to integrate African Americans into society with civil liberties and political roles, yet white supremacist attitudes and legal maneuvers largely undermined these endeavors, leading to a reassertion of restrictive and prejudiced societal norms.