In order to answer the above question it is a good idea to look at the situation facing the blacks before 1870. On New Year's Day 1863 the President Abraham Lincoln forced through the 13th Amendment that was a law basically making slavery illegal. At the time this faced a mix reaction as the southern and northern states had different views on slavery. In basic terms the north was more favourable towards the slaves and following their victory in the civil war they could create anti-slavery laws. The southern states, which include Texas and Mississippi, were on the whole pro-slavery. Of course there were many exceptions to the rule in both north and south. The major problem facing the blacks after the Emancipation was the lack of infrastructure allowing them to improve their own lives. Some help was provided by the government but on the whole not enough. There was very little education and many of the slaves had never read a book or written a sentence.
two random black people on a sunday afternoon
English: Photo of the front of Plessy v. Ferguson ...
English: Plessy v Ferguson plaque, Press Street, N...Competing against white men for jobs was always going to be a difficult task and few did it successfully. During the Blacks' time as slaves they had always been provided with enough food and shelter to live by their masters, in the period immediately following Emancipation the blacks basically did not know how to fend for themselves! In many cases Black people were freed, had what WEB Dubois described as their "brief moment in the sun," and then returned to a form of slavery in order to feed themselves.
These problems were magnified in the south for two major reasons, the first being the anti black feeling that was widespread throughout. The south had had anti-slavery laws thrust upon them and it is fair to say that the 13th Amendment would not have...