After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, former slaves took on a new role in American society. This role was one of more significance and self worth than in slavery, but this class of freedmen was anything but appreciated. Without the manpower of the slaves, the south's agricultural society would fail, and without the agriculture there would be little money or food in the south. The passing of the Louisiana Black Code in 1865, confirmed …showed first 75 words of 1013 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1013 total…They agreed to take all federal troops out of their stations in South Carolina and Louisiana. While vast improvements of the social rights of blacks were made, most political rights were still restricted. Blacks took two steps forward while being pushed back one. However, they gained their basic freedom and became educated. They would no longer be inferior in their own eyes to whites and would make strives in forward progression throughout the next century.