Blacks after the Civil War enjoyed many privileges that their predecessors could only dream of. They could vote, hold office and attend school. New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of the more integrated cities in the South. It desegregated its streetcars in 1867, began experimenting with integrated public schools in 1869, legalized interracial marriage between 1868 and 1896, elected a total of 32 black state senators and 95 state representatives, and had integrated juries, public boards, and police departments [1].
Despite these major improvements, life for Southern blacks was far from perfect. "Black Codes," designed to limit the opportunities of blacks, were passed in the South during Reconstruction. The Black Codes placed taxes on free blacks who tried to pursue nonagricultural professions, restricted the abilities of blacks to rent land or own guns, and even allowed the children of "unfit" parents to be apprenticed to the old slave masters [2]. In effect, this was a continuation of slavery. It was during this time period that anti-black groups such as the Ku Klux Klan had their start. By 1896, the situation was extremely volatile. Something was bound to give.