Foner discusses the freedom acquired by those previously held in servitude in Chapter 15, bringing up the few rights granted to the recently emancipated African Americans. The black population had not yet gained true equality, and suffered even more due to their lack of access to resources and rights in the past. Amendments introduced in this time frame (Reconstruction) pushed toward the goal of liberty for all, yet something that couldn’t be fixed by laws alone would be education. Blacks now have more opportunities to learn than they had in this country, with the organization of new schools, and it would take considerable effort to ensure that future generations acquired the necessary skills they need to gain equal footingin the ever-changing society.

With the assassination of Lincoln and the presidency of Johnson, the progress toward achieving freedom and mutual tolerance had been delayed. Segregation was common, meaning that blacks couldn’t receive the same kind of education whites could, causing the already minuscule ability to make something of themselves blacks  hold to diminish even more.

As time passed by, racial tension gradually decreased, but still remained a big factor in the U.S. society, where discrimination was rampant. However, with the efforts of the African Americans with help from several organizations and offices, The United States has finally come close to becoming a nation of acceptance and diversity it was meant to be.