First, although they were technically 'free', there was little work in the war-tattered south, other than the very plantations from which these people were emancipated.
Secondly, they had no money or assets in most cases. Many began on the long migration of poor African Americans from the south to the industrial north, which continued through the 1970s.
The biggest problem, however, was the ongoing discrimination they faced. Jim Crow Laws throughout the south enforced segregation in public places, and most remained in place until the 1960s Civil Rights Movement ultimately resulted in Federal legislation negating most (unconstitutional) segregation laws.
Candidate Party Electoral Votes
Abraham Lincoln Republican 180
John C. Breckinridge Democratic 72
John Bell Constitutional Union 39
Stephen A. Douglas Democratic 12
Robert E. Lee surrenders. In Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War.
