Southern states enacted laws known as Black Codes to restrict the freedom of ex-slaves in the South during the Reconstruction Era.

This article contains numerous facts about black segregation history in the United States from the Civil War through the end of the Civil Rights Movement.

Overview of life after slavery for African Americans.

The purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was to protect ex-slaves (Freedmen) from legislation in the Southern States such as the Black Codes and the Vagrancy Laws and help African Americans obtain equal status under the law.