1. Reconstruction
In the south, Reconstruction meant rebuilding the economy, establishing new state and local governments and a new social structure between whites and newly freed African Americans. ... African Americans desperately wanted to move up in social standing and become educated. ... If a Freedman chose not to sign the contract, he was intimidated into signing. ... The contracts themselves bound the freedmen into a continued form of slavery. ... The black man was viewed as being part of a system where they were thrown into the bottom of the social classes with no legal status." ...
- Word Count: 1876
- Approx Pages: 8
- Grade Level: High School