Expectations revolutionized tremendous change in American society upon the marking of the Reconstruction period. Moreover, particularly, the African American community anticipated such change --- hoping to capitalize on the freedom the Emancipation Proclamation conferred to them. With collaborative efforts from The Radical Republicans, African Americans envisioned to secure a regarded status amongst 19th Century society. The Radical Republicans was party of the 1860s, collectively composed of abolitionists and others hostile to the South, where blacks were regarded as an inferior race. Unfortunately, the black dream proved to be better in theory than in practice, as ambitions were never fully realized due prominently to Southern resistance to the Reconstruction plan. The black community had hoped to triumph through voting rights, social acceptance, and to a greater extent---economic opportunities. .
Although deeply rooted in prejudice against African Americans, the Radical Republicans also firmly believed they should be considered equal citizens in all aspects, including voting rights. With the ratification of the 15th Amendment into the U.S. Constitution, African American males over the age of twenty-one could legally participate in voting affairs. However, the south seemed content in preserving pre-Civil War customs and deliberately denied blacks the right to vote with the adoption of the Black Codes policy. Black Codes were a series of degradations that intended to keep African Americans under white authority following the Civil War. The 14th Amendment, passed by Congress focused on civil rights and equal protection of laws to all citizens, and black Americans were to be no exception. Furthermore, the Civil Rights Acts of 1870 and 1871 were specifically designed to target white supremacist activity and to preserve freedom. The Ku Klux Klan was an organization that formed in the South in 1866, which resorted to lynching and profound acts of violence to intimidate and control African Americans and other minority groups.
