The rights of African Americans between 1865 and 1900 is a subject of great discussion. It is hard to tell whether the rights of this minority group actually declined, or whether it simply stayed the same. On paper these rights improved through ways such as the 13th , 14th and 15th amendment, as well as the Reconstruction Act of 1867-8, but in the actual quality and treatment of coloured people it seems to decline. Although in theory African Americans were equal to white Americans, both were citizens of America and could vote, under the democratic values segregation occurred, proving to African Americans that they still were not accepted as equal.
In 1865 it did seem to many African Americans that things were improving. The reconstruction of the south begins and the 13the amendment is passed, abolishing slavery. …
