On May 6, 1877, federal troops were withdrawn from Louisiana, effectively marking the end of Reconstruction in the South. This event dealt a devastating blow to African Americans who had made political and social gains during Reconstruction. Without federal protection, Southern states quickly enacted Black Codes and Jim Crow laws to reassert white supremacy and strip away Black rights. The withdrawal underscored how fragile Black progress could be when political will waned. The long shadow of this betrayal would contribute to nearly a century of disenfranchisement, racial violence, and economic exploitation for African Americans across the South.
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