Answer:
One of the most important aspects of Reconstruction was the active participation of African Americans (including thousands of formerly enslaved people) in the political, economic and social life of the South.
Before the Civil War began, African Americans had only been able to vote in a few northern states, and there were virtually no Black officeholders. The months after the Union victory in April 1865 saw extensive mobilization within the Black community, with meetings, parades and petitions calling for legal and political rights, including the all-important right to vote.