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African Americans were not free during Reconstruction because of the evidence presented in Document D. A former slave explained his experience after African Americans were free yet he was still treated as property and was abused.

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Although they are supposed to be free, they didn’t feel free, and most didn’t treat them as free.  Henry Adam’s Story, he was a freedman but when people asked him who he was owned by, and he replied with “no one”, they started beating him. He also stated, “I seen over twelve colored men and women, beat, shot and hung between there and Shreveport.” In document C, about the Black Codes, all of the laws are restricting African Americans from doing so many things that Whites can do. This is not being free, they are still being limited.

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I don't think African Americans were free during Reconstruction because Henry Adam's account in Document D describes the effects of black codes and shows that the new amendments were not enforced in the South. The black codes prevented African Americans from truly being free because they were still forced to do labor and were abused by their employers.

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African Americans were not free during reconstruction. Document C shows all of the restrictions placed on African Americans in the town of Opelousas, despite being "free". They were not treated the same as other Americans.

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African Americans were thought to be free under the ideals of the civil war but they were truly not during Reconstruction. As seen in Document C: "Be it therefore ordained by the board of police o the town of Opelousas, That no negro or freedman shall be allowed to come within the limits of the town of Opelousas without special permission from his employers, specifying the object of his visit and the time necessary for the accomplishment of the same. Whoever shall violate this provision shall suffer imprisonment and two days’ work on the public streets, or shall pay a fine of two dollars and fifty cents." This shows the severity of how poorly the rights of African Americans was represented and the extent to which their promised American "freedom" lacked.

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African Americans were not free during reconstruction to to the restrictions placed on them. In document C it says, "No public meetings or congregations of negroes or freedmen". If they were truly free they would be able to meet and to come and go as they please.

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African Americans were not free during Reconstruction, because the Emancipation Proclamation only granted slaves free from states not under Union control.

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African Americans were not free during Reconstruction because they still had so many unnecessary rules to follow. Document C lists all of the restrictions African Americans had to live under in Opelousas. Even through they were supposedly "free" they did not have the sam rights that the average American did.

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I believe African Americans were not truly free during Reconstruction. I believe African Americans were not free during reconstruction because they continued to face tremendous amounts of racism and disrespect even after they had been freed. In the Wilmington Coup, the BBC article states, ““African Americans still faced daily prejudice and discrimination… They thought that things were actually getting better. But part of the lesson about it was as things got better, white people fought harder.” Even decades later, African Americans were still treated as unworthy and as some “thing” rather than someone. Although the law stated they were free, the Black codes put into place greatly restricted them. Some examples include ““That every negro freedman who shall be found on the streets of Opelousas after 10 o’clock at night without a written pass or permit from his employer shall be imprisoned and compelled to work five days on the public streets, or pay a fine of five dollars.” and “No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within the limits of the town under any circumstances…” These codes limited their so-called “freedom” and it showed the resentment of the white population to the new laws.

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African Americans were not free during reconstruction. Document C goes over Black codes for a city called Opelousas. Some of the rules were no selling merchandise, no drinking in the city, no public meetings, and no owning property. They were no longer slaves but did not have equal rights.

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African Americans were not free during the Reconstruction due to the way they were abused, restricted on many things, and treated inhumane.  As found in the Black Code passage, ““No freeman shall sell, barter, or exchange any article of merchandise….Any freedman found drunk within the limits of the town shall be imprisoned….No public meetings or congregations of negroes or freedmen… No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house”” Another piece of evidence is from the Henry Adams Statement, “I met four white men about six miles south of Keachie, De Soto Parish. One of them asked me who I belonged to. I told him no one. So him and two others struck me with a stick and told me they were going to kill me and every other Negro who told them that they did not belong to anyone.” These pieces of evidence shows how even though they were freemen, they didn't have the same freedom as someone who is white. They were restricted on things that regular people would be doing. The other piece of evidence shows that even though he was not a slave and was a freeman, he was not believed and attacked even though he shouldn’t have been.

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African americans were not free during the reconstruction because during the wilmington coup black business owners were murdered and forced to resign from their jobs. It says this in the BBC when it says “They destroyed black-owned businesses, murdered black residents, and forced the elected local government - a coalition of white and black politicians - to resign en masse.”

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African Americans were not fully free during Reconstruction. In the Wilmington Coup document, it started with, “white supremacists moved into the US port of Wilmington, North Carolina, then the largest city in the state. They destroyed black-owned businesses, murdered black residents, and forced the elected local government - a coalition of white and black politicians - to resign en masse.”, although African Americans were free, they still faced violence and prejudice.
IN the Henry Adams Statement, he stated, “I told him no one. So, him and two others struck me with a stick and told me they were going to kill me and every other Negro who told them that they did not belong to anyone” - this insert of his statement showed how they weren't treated with sincerity and that the violence was just the same as it was before. It later stated in the statement, "You should say 'master' and 'mistress' -- and shall or leave. We will not have no nigger here on our place who cannot say 'mistress' and 'master.' You all are not free yet and will not be until Congress sits, and you shall call every white lady 'missus' and every white man 'master.'"", even though by law they were free, they were still forced to submit, and follow many laws and rules that the places have set for them.

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In section 3 of the black code it states, “No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within the limits of the town under any circumstances,” This is a prime example of how african americans were not treated the same as other citizens, they were viewed as less than and it was legal for them to be discriminated against.

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Africans were not free during the reconstruction. According to the BBC article about the Wilmington Coup, “Africans still faced daily prejudice and discrimination…” It demonstrates the fact that even with the laws outlawing slavery, limits were still prevalent during the period of reconstruction to the previously slaved men.

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Although their rights were legally protected by the government, African Americans were not free during Reconstruction. The strongest evidence for this is in document D where a free African American tells of his experiences where his freedom was denied by white people even though he was legally free.

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African Americans were not free during reconstruction because in Document D they talked about, “One of them asked me who I belonged to. I told him no one. So him and two others struck me with a stick and told me they were going to kill me and every other Negro who told them that they did not belong to anyone.” This clearly shows how people did not change and still believed that slavery was still alive and that african americans couldn't be free

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There are many instances for which the rights of the freed black people were infringed upon. In document A, the Reconstruction Amendments, it is stated that  “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied…” yet in document E we see how black people were attacked and forced to not vote. Along with this, we see how unfair city legislature was, for instance in document C there was a law which stated “No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within the limits of the town under any circumstances”. Where were they supposed to sleep then, the streets? Its simply baffling how unjustly these people were treated, and how other continued to let it happen.

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African Americans were not free during reconstructions because they weren't given the right that would ensure their freedom. In document C is states, "No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within the limits of the town under any circumstances, and any one thus offending shall be ejected and compelled to find an employer or leave the town within twenty-four hours. The lessor or furnisher of the house leased or kept as above shall pay a fine of ten dollars for each offence." This shows that African Americans still had limited rights, and rules were enforced to make sure that they weren't completely free.