Question

reconstruction after the u.s. civil war
during reconstruction, america seemed to be moving toward the ideals of \liberty and justice for all\ promised by the declaration of independence; historian eric foner even refers to this period as \americas second founding.\ slavery was abolished and three constitutional amendments ensured voting and citizenship rights for the formerly enslaved. in january of 1865, just before the end of the war, general william tecumseh sherman issued an order that proclaimed newly freed families were entitled to claim 40 - acre plots of formerly confederate land after the war. however, four months later, president abraham lincoln was assassinated, and southerner andrew johnson became president. he overturned general shermans order immediately, and the land was returned to its former confederate owners. desperately poor, with no land or money, many freed people were forced to return to work for their former enslavers, typically through sharecropping, in order to survive.
in 1881, frederick douglass, observing the poverty in which the federal government left the approximately 4 million formerly enslaved people, wrote: \when our slaves were emancipated, they were sent away empty - handed, without money, without friends and without a foot of land on which they could live and make a living. old and young, sick and well, were turned loose to the naked sky, naked to their enemies.\
although slavery was over, black codes, restrictive laws limiting the freedoms of african americans, were passed throughout the south. mississippis law, passed in 1865, required black people to have written evidence of employment or risk arrest. in south carolina, a law prohibited black workers from any job other than a farmer or a servant unless they paid an annual tax. some states limited the type of property black families could own. these laws resulted in many formerly enslaved people remaining dependent on plantations and white landowners for employment. by 1887, when federal soldiers left the south and reconstruction ended, white supremacist forces had undone many of the political gains made by african americans.

1. complete this sentence: despite the promise of reconstruction,
2. recall that paul edward logan, cassies grandfather, bought the first 200 acres of logan land in 1887. what is notable about the timing of this purchase based on what you read in the article above?

Explanation:

1. The text details how despite the ideals of Reconstruction like liberty and justice for all, African - Americans faced setbacks. Black codes restricted their freedoms, and many were forced back into dependence on white landowners. So, the sentence can be completed as "Despite the promise of Reconstruction, African Americans still faced significant obstacles to true freedom and equality."
2. In 1887, Reconstruction ended and federal soldiers left the South. White supremacist forces had undone many of the political gains of African Americans. Paul Edward Logan's purchase of land in 1887 might be notable as it could represent an instance of a Black family attempting to assert economic independence at a time when white - dominated power structures were re - emerging in the South.

Answer:

1. African Americans still faced significant obstacles to true freedom and equality.
2. It occurred when Reconstruction ended and white - dominated power structures were re - emerging, and it could represent an attempt at Black economic independence.