Were African Americans free during Reconstruction or were they still be denied their freedom?
There are plenty of evidence to argue on whether or not African Americans were free during Reconstruction. However based on my definition of freedom, African Americans weren't truly free at that point in time. Although African Americans did have many documents that said they were free, many Caucasian men, mainly in the Southern states, still treated them unfairly. It didn't really matter though if were Caucasian men in Northern states or Southern states that denied the freedom of African Americans. The Caucasians still had all the power. Plus, we need to keep in mind that Reconstruction took place right after the Civil War. That mean that each of the two sections had different laws that affect the African Americans. The Radicals which were mainly in the Northern states differents goals during Reconstruction. Unfortunately, the Radicals gave up equal rights for African Americans and they were forced to have unequal rights for at least another century.