How were free blacks cheated on their rights before and after reconstruction?

Before and after Reconstruction, free blacks faced systemic discrimination and disenfranchisement through various means. Laws such as Black Codes in the South restricted their rights to vote, own property, and access education. Even after the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, many Southern states implemented Jim Crow laws, enforcing racial segregation and undermining the legal rights of free blacks. This ongoing oppression was reinforced by social and economic barriers, effectively marginalizing them from full participation in society.