After the Civil War (1861-1865), the emancipated African Americans sought independence from the whites and economic autonomy. They wanted to be compensated for the work the did during the slave era and expected the federal government to give them land. They wanted the same freedoms as the whites and demanded equal civil and political rights. A land reform was developed for each freed family they were granted 40 acres and a mule post Civil War in the south. In 1865, under the order of president Andrew Johnson, one of the first acts of Reconstruction was to give back all the lands under federal control to the former owners (white southerners). During the postwar era, former slaves were aided by the Freedmen’s Bureau who did not provide an effective land reform and had to inform the Freedmen and women of the ultimatum given to them. The Freedmen had to either sign a labor contract with the planters or be evicted from the land. The army troops would force out those who refused or resisted. The abolishment of slavery left white …show more content…
The blacks’ thought of this being a compromise and a chance to gain independence from the white control. So, the planters decided to employ the Freedman, as workers, and furnish the land and provide them with tools, mules and horses. In return, the Freedmen had to sign a contract of agreement with limitations. They knew the Freedmen were illiterate and could not read. Therefore, the laborers did not foresee they would, once again, become slaves under the white man’s control. Their freedom was limited and the postwar contracts gave the planter the right to supervise the labor of his employees (p304). The white southerners’ also wanted disciplined labor and any disobedience would mean the laborer would be docked at the end of the year. They were to obey all orders, carry out and manage the crop for one year