The Gilded Age began and the Reconstruction Era ended with unfulfilled promises. Although slavery was abolished in 1865 through the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans were still not seen as equal in the eyes of society and were not given equal rights. The Rise of Jim Crow laws in the South established racial segregation and prevented African Americans from having any form of freedom whatsoever. The supreme court case, Plessy v. Ferguson, caught the attention of society when an African American man claimed his rights had been violated when he refused to sit in the railroad car designated for blacks in Louisiana. …show more content…
African Americans still endured discrimination through segregation and prevention from participating in politics. Due to the effects of Jim Crow laws and the increase of lynching, many African Americans migrated north to seek a better life and find work in factories. They were faced with poor living and working conditions, and also came to the realization that racism was not only in the South. However, African Americans did not give up hope and aimed to end discrimination as a whole. Organizations were formed that did have a positive influence on African American life. W.E.B. DuBois founded both the Niagara movement and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which fought to end racial inequality. These organizations gave African Americans access to healthcare, better living conditions, as well as