Was life better on the the other side?

Reconstruction had a minimal beneficial value for former slaves. Though they were considered "free" people, essentially there were still strings attached. The thirteenth amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation abolished slavery, but the larger issue was that the slaves had nowhere to go, and were still not accepted by society. Some made it out, and made something for themselves. They did this by getting involved in politics, and gaining higher rankings in society. Others practiced their freedoms such as, voting. Yet most stayed on their masters plantations and got paid to work. Though they did not receive the brutal treatment they endured prior to being freed people, if they chose to say on the plantations, they were still under their masters command, Sure, they god paid, but it was minimal, and their work load was immense.Also, eventually the money they were paid, ended up back in the masters hand. The other slaves that tried to get involved in slavery, were still ostracized, and the white people still considered themselves better. So, slaves did get better treatment after the Reconstruction Period, but it wasn't all rainbows and cupcakes, they still struggled to gain their acceptance of rights and presence in society.