What were black peoples lives like after the civil war?

After the Civil War, the lives of Black people in the United States were marked by both hope and hardship. While the abolition of slavery and the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments granted them legal rights and citizenship, systemic racism, violence, and discrimination persisted. Many faced economic challenges, often working as sharecroppers in exploitative conditions, while others sought education and political participation. The Reconstruction era brought some advances, but the eventual rise of Jim Crow laws severely curtailed their rights and opportunities in the South.