In order to answer the above question it is a good idea to look at the situation facing the blacks before 1870. On New Year's Day 1863 the President Abraham Lincoln forced through the 13th Amendment that was a law basically making slavery illegal. At the time this faced a mix reaction as the southern and northern states had different views on slavery. In basic terms the north was more favourable towards the slaves and following their …showed first 75 words of 2050 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2050 total…amendment illegal. It is therefore difficult to assess how much the lives of African Americans had improved. On the whole it is fair to say that some progress was made and this is especially true in terms of education, where many blacks had enjoyed the benefit of learning how to read and write. By 1919 more African Americans were definitely in a position to push on in an attempt to gain more rights and ultimately equality.