How free were the freed blacks 1865-1965?
Initially, after the end of the Civil War, they were fairly free, but they also had the active protection of occupying Union troops in the South to force that freedom. Also, the US government, through Reconstruction, actively supported the freedom of its new black citizens. This all ended in 1872 when Union troops were withdrawn from the South and Reconstruction ended. Former Confederates regained office and immediately started passing laws restricting the freedoms and rights of blacks. And, btw, this disenfranchisement soon spread throughout the entire United States, although there were a few small pockets of freedom where blacks could enjoy somewhat equal rights. Politically, blacks were denied the vote by methods such as the poll tax, literacy tests and party primaries. Poll taxes — you had to pay the poll tax before you could vote — were set at a level where low-income individuals could not pay. But these taxes often included grandfather clauses, which exempted those who voted be
