African Americans and Reconstruction: Hope and Struggle, 1865-1883 This link opens in a new windowSpanning eighteen of the most formative years in African-American history, Reconstruction marked an end to slavery and a beginning to the enfranchisement of African Americans. Full citizenship, voting rights, land ownership, employment opportunities, and political participation were only some of the significant gains enjoyed, in theory, by African Americans during this period. Although these rights were granted by amendments to the U.S. Constitution and federal legislation they were not, in practice, universally protected at local levels.
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