Political Satire during Reconstruction
After the Civil War, African Americans went to great lengths to change and improve their lives after their freedom was gained by the Emancipation Proclamation. They helped fight for legislative change including the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments of the Constitution and demanded assistance in the form of the Freedmen's Bureau. African Americans survived the Black Codes, endured a tremendous amount of violence from whites looking to "redeem" the south and watch as the Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling set in place an ideology of "separate but equal" through out the country. After all of these factors are accounted for: Did Reconstruction Work for African Americans?