The civil war solved some problems such as slavery, confirming the power of the government, and refuting secession. While it may have solved these problems it also opened up new problems such as discrimination, sectionalism, and the obvious loss of lives. One major focus in congress was the almost four million newly freed slaves. For years people in congress would push very hard to grant these individuals equal rights.
Major obstacles to the movement for equal rights were the deep-rooted feelings that people had towards blacks. As Pennsylvanian congressman Benjamin Boyer had said in a speech to congress, “the Negro race by nature is inferior in mental caliber”. This belief was strongly hel