What opportunities did they African Americans gain during the Civil War and Reconstruction? What obstacles still remained? Did the gains made in this era last? Why or why not?

African Americans made many gains during the Civil War and Reconstruction. They gained their freedom in 1865, citizenship in 1868, and male suffrage in 1870. There were still several obstacles in place, however. African Americans had been banned from getting an education in the South and without literacy, many jobs were still out of reach of the former slaves. African Americans had to overcome prejudice all over the nation as many would not hire an African American or allow him/her to live in certain neighborhoods. African Americans made many gains during military Reconstruction as they ran successfully for municipal and state office.
However, after military Reconstruction ended in 1877, many of these gains were wiped out as grandfather clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests kept many African Americans away from the polls and the South went for Democrats once again. During Reconstruction the African Americans in the South did not get their "forty acres and a mule" as the federal government avoided redistributing the former planters' lands. Many African Americans and poor whites would become sharecroppers and their descendants would remain sharecroppers until WWII. Many cities also passed vagrancy laws which demanded that African Americans carry papers with them which defined their residences and occupations. Any African Americans caught without this material could be placed on a government chain gang, which was slavery by another name. African Americans did gain their freedom during this time, but that was really the only lasting improvement to their situation in the 1800s.