Concept Map of America During Reconstruction

An element of the visual that may not be clear is the part that Mound Bayou was the best environment for free African Americans. Some people may think that this comparison is to compare for no reason but, this is to show the safest option at the time. By showing how harsh the segregation was in the South, I’m making the point that it was definitely an unfit place for free African Americans to live. Also, by revealing the surprising aspects of the North, I showed how even though the North was full of abolitionist, not everyone was an abolitionist or wanted to be equal to African Americans. Next, in the revealing of Mound Bayou many wonderful attributes, you can also see that this town benefited African Americans the most. It gave them hope, freedom, and safety and really protected them for any people who wanted to harm them.

Another element that may not be clear is the part about black codes in the North. This is because a lot of people are not familiar with black codes in the North, only the ones in the South. So, some viewers may confused and think that I had made a minor mistake. But, this is true, Northerners were wary about all these African Americans who were free. Even though they thought that slavery was wrong, they still were not sure they liked the idea of them being equal in fear of black supremacy. So because of this, towns would conjure up black codes trying to control the African American workforce and other actions that as free people they were supposed to have.

This matters because so many people (even me before this project) think that after the Emancipation Proclamation all slaves were free. But, even if they were legally free, there were still restrictions on where the could go or what they could do. Most people are ignorant of this but, need to know this to have more insight on American History.