Life after Slavery

Post Civil War

Now that slaverywas over, AfricanAmericans had2 main problems.

1. They wereuneducated.2. They were

unemployed.

So the United Statesgovernment establishedthe Freedmen’s

Bureau.

The was an organizationthat provided freed slaveswith food, clothing, medicine,and other supplies.

Freedmen’sBureau

To make a living, many slavesbecame sharecroppers.

sharecropping?What was

Sharecropping was whenlandowners gave the workers (freed slaves) supplies and a place to live. Then, at harvest time, the landownerwould give the freed slave a share of the crop. This was not very helpful tothe freed slaves. They did not make very much money.

Life did not get better forfreed slaves just becauseslavery was outlawed. AfricanAmericans were stilldiscriminated against.

Let’s take a moment to discuss what “discriminated” means.

After the slaves were freed,the werepassed.

Jim Crow LawsJim Crow LawsThe made it legal

to maintain separate facilitiesfor blacks and whites.

The made Southerners happy becausethe laws still kept white and black people segregated.

Jim Crow Laws

Let’s take a moment to discuss what “segregated” means.

The South also tried to keepblack people from voting.This was calleddisenfranchisement.

The South told me I can’t vote if I don’t pay all the

taxes I owe the government. I can’t pay

the taxes! I don’t have any money. Sharecropping does not pay me very

much, and I am trying to take care of my family. This is just a way to keep black

people from voting!

The South also told me that I can’t vote if I don’t pass a

reading test. Only about half of the black people living in the South can read. This is

just a way to keep black people from voting!

Remember, just because slaverywas outlawed in the south, lifewas still very difficult forAfrican Americans after the Civil War.

Let’s Review1. What were the two main problems that African Americans had even after slavery was outlawed?2. What was the ?3. What were the ?

5. How did white people attempt to keep AfricanAmericans from voting?6. Define:

4. What was ? How was it beneficial to African Americans? What were its drawbacks?

Freedmen’s Bureau

Jim Crow Lawssharecropping

segregation discrimination disenfranchisement

The End