Gave black southerners more political and economic freedom

Right after the Civil War, white supremacists in the South were determined to stop any social or political progress by the African-American. At the 1866 Constitutional Convention, Texans passed out restrictive laws, known as Black Codes, to African Americans that limited their autonomy. The Codes basically returned the African American to their former position of slaves. African Americans without jobs often were given to white guardians for work without pay. The penalty for quitting often included imprisonment for breach of contract. Other laws prevented freedmen from having free access to public facilities. They were not allowed to testify against whites, serve on juries or in state militias, or to vote. They were, however, free to develop schools and churches, which became vehicles for improvement within their communities. By the late 1860s, African Americans had aligned themselves with the Republicans and began to carve a pathway to true freedom as American citizens.

Their fight was not an easy one, it was not until 1890 that twenty states passed laws that enacted segregation laws and African American people could feel free at long last.