There is no doubt that the period from 1865 to 1896 was one of the most important in American history. The Civil War divided the country over the issue of slavery, but in many ways slavery was not the primary issue of the war. From President Abraham Lincoln's perspective, the primary goal of the war was to preserve the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation and the freeing of slaves was a secondary result. Regardless, after the war, approximately 4 million people were freed from slavery. Policies regarding their rights and freedoms became the dominant political controversy during the Reconstruction period. Individuals like Ida B. Wells, Booker T. Washington, and Frederick Douglas spoke out against society and the government for prejudice against freed slaves. They also believed that the destruction of slavery alone was not enough to consider former slaves free. During the Reconstruction era, the meaning and experience of freedmen was in some ways the same as when they were enslaved, but in other ways it was much worse than before their freedom. Lack of opportunity, institutional racism, and violence in society limited the freedmen's freedoms which essentially gave them nothing other than freedom from slavery. For many freedmen, the only thing they had after gaining their freedom was their freedom itself. Most of them had no jobs, no money, no housing. Former slaves also had little or no formal skills, were mostly illiterate, and therefore struggled to improve their situation. Countless freedmen returned to work on their former masters' plantations for low pay and remained essentially slaves. Although there were successes for freedmen during the Reconstruction era such as the Civil R...... middle of paper ...... the institutional racism and unspeakable violence faced by African-slaves Americans were submitted. Of course, the country has made great strides against racism and has granted civil rights to African Americans since the Civil War. Yet there was still a time when freed slaves were, in many ways, not free at all. The experience of former slaves was in some ways the same as when they were slaves and in others much worse. Widespread racism and despicable crimes were committed against them. The government was unable or unwilling to grant freedmen land and equal opportunities in society and even when they were granted rights, these were often undermined or rescinded. It is fair to say that the history of slavery in America is complex and its effects were felt long after the Emancipation Proclamation. Freedmen essentially only had their own freedom.