Why did some African Americans feel they were not free after the civil war?

After the Civil War, many African Americans felt they were not truly free due to the systemic racism and discriminatory practices that persisted, such as Black Codes and later Jim Crow laws, which enforced segregation and curbed their rights. Despite the abolition of slavery, economic exploitation through sharecropping and limited access to education and jobs kept many in poverty. Additionally, violence and intimidation, particularly from groups like the Ku Klux Klan, further suppressed their efforts for equality and autonomy. Consequently, the promise of freedom remained unfulfilled for many African Americans.