Between the periods 1865 and 1877, Reconstruction took place, a time in which the North and South spent rebuilding after the Civil War. However, Reconstruction primarily took place in the South since all former slaves were now free, meaning that millions of people now required things such as jobs, a house, food, etc. Reconstruction was especially fundamental because this time would be spent attempting to grant African Americans social, political, and economic equality, something that had been withheld for many years. And while Reconstruction was successful in providing African Americans with political equality, it failed to establish social and economic equality. When it came to political equality for African Americans, Reconstruction was successful. This is because, before Reconstruction, African Americans were not considered citizens of the US, despite the majority being born within the country. This means they could not (were unable to) run for office and therefore had no political power. However, Document B, the 14th Amendment, granted all of these people citizenship and equal protection of the laws. This was a massive improvement as African Americans could now run for office, thus granting them political power. The success of this amendment can be further …show more content…
This is largely due to Black Codes, restrictive laws targeted at African Americans with the intent of suppressing equality. Social equality was especially hit hard, as some of these laws made it illegal for African Americans to be within the limits of town without a special pass, and others prevented African Americans from owning a business within town (Document H). These laws made it difficult for African Americans to exist in public, showing just how social equality for African Americans was avoided. Clearly, the existence of Black Codes resulted in African Americans being denied social