The thirteenth amendment clearly prohibits slavery in the United States. All slaves were to be freed immediately when t

his amendment was declared ratified in December of 1865, but what were they to do? Generations of African-Americans had been enslaved in America, and those who had lived their whole lives in slavery had little knowledge of the outside world. This lack of knowledge would not be helpful in trying to find work once they were released. Plantation owners with a lack of workforce were eager to offer extremely low pay to their former slaves. In addition, the work force of the plantation would often live in the same quarters they did while enslaved. These living conditions showed little change from the living conditions African-Americans had faced while enslaved.

Another problem which arose in the south were laws which would further the oppression of the African-American population. Commonly called Black Codes, these laws also punished white persons who supported emancipation during the Civil War. These Black Codes were of

Some common words found in the essay are:
Generations African-Americans, Civil War's, Black Codes, African-Americans Violence, Civil War, Fourteenth Amendment, United Government, Klux Klan, black codes, former slaves, , living conditions, codes created, african-american population, civil war, black codes created,
Approximate Word count = 626
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)