Former slaves had been promised "40 acres and a mule" after the war, the Johnson's pardons gave most of the property back to the ex-Confederates.
In 1875, Mississippi Democrats devised a strategy called the Mississippi Plan. Part of this plan called for the intimidation of blacks to keep them from voting and ultimately electing Republicans to office. For the most part, this accomplished through violence and fear. The Democrats were successful in turning what had been a Republican majority in the state into a Democratic majority.
The intimidation techniques used in Mississippi began to take hold in other southern states. Many black people were killed during the outbreaks of violence that surrounded "free" elections. Despite what was going on in the South, Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes was able to win the 1876 election. However, he lost the popular vote, and only won the presidency by one electoral vote.
During the later part of the 19th century, lynching in the South reached an all time high. During this same time period, steps were taken in southern states to diminish the rights of African Americans. Several states adopted new constitutions that disenfranchised black voters. There were literacy tests and poll taxes, both of which were manipulated to make it impossible for a black person to register to vote. At the same time clauses were put in to allow white voters to register without have to deal with poll taxes or tests.
Also in the late 1800's, many states adopted "Jim Crow" laws. These laws mandated racial segregation of all public facilities. In the landmark case of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme court declare that states were allowed to pass such laws, providing that separate facilities for blacks were equal to those for whites. However, the blacks facilities never actually measured up to those that were strictly for whites.
Jim Crow laws and the Supreme Court's endorsement of "separate but equal" facilities for African Americans lasted for over fifty years.
