Reconstruction: Changing Times

Reconstruction: Changing Times. Cascades Park. The Civil War brought with it great strides for freedom and equality for American slaves in Tallahassee, the official news of freedom came on May 25, 1865 with the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation outside the Knott House., After freedmen gained voting rights, they helped elect black men to local state and national offices., Rev. James Page represented Leon County as voter registrar, county commissioner and justice of the peace. Jonathan C. Gibbs served as Florida’s Secretary of State, and John Wallace and Rev. Charles H. Pearce also held statewide positions. Josiah H. Walls represented the area in Congress., Black citizens formed communities and established schools, churches and other institutions that supported the transition from slavery to freedom. The Smokey Hollow community occupied present day Cascades Park and was one of several segregated black communities in Tallahassee. It was self-supported and included grocers and juke joints. Professionals and laborers lived within its boundaries, and many of the property owners were black., After the Civil War, the US government confronted the problems of readmitting the southern states and integrating emancipated black citizens into society. Across the South, state legislatures enacted Black Codes to ensure a stable labor supply and undermine the freedmen's independence. The Ku Klux Klan preserved white supremacy through violence and coercion. The U.S. Congress responded with the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the l4th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. However, the end of military occupation left the former Confederate states able to maintain decades of segregation and repression well into the 20th century., (Captions) , Members of the Florida House of Representatives gathered on the Capitol’s steps for a group portrait in 1875. State Archives of Florida, The Union Bank, established by planters, became the Freedman's Bank during Reconstruction. State Archives of Florida