Yes, there were a lot of layers. At the level of federal law, we got things like the Constitutional Amendments. For a while the Freedman's Bureau and whites from the North (carpetbaggers) were able to make some headway on the ground. Black people got more education, more rights, and even participated n government. But after the 1877 withdrawal of troops (Hayes's "corrupt bargain), the pendulum swung back the other way. These types of Black Codes (many were enacted by Southern states even early on in Reconstruction) were more successful, along with the KKK discouraging black voting and activism. There was also de-facto slavery by convict labor.
Yes, there were a lot of layers. At the level of federal law, we got things like the Constitutional Amendments. For a while the Freedman's Bureau and whites from the North (carpetbaggers) were able to make some headway on the ground. Black people got more education, more rights, and even participated n government. But after the 1877 withdrawal of troops (Hayes's "corrupt bargain), the pendulum swung back the other way. These types of Black Codes (many were enacted by Southern states even early on in Reconstruction) were more successful, along with the KKK discouraging black voting and activism. There was also de-facto slavery by convict labor.