The 14th had granted citizenship.
The 15th had given Black men the right to vote.
So why would anyone carve an Underground Railroad symbol on their doorframe in 1887?
Rachel opened another browser tab and began researching the period known as Reconstruction and its aftermath.
What she discovered made her stomach tighten.
After the hopeful years immediately following the Civil War, the 1880s had seen a dramatic rollback of civil rights across the country.
In the South, Jim Crow laws were emerging.
But even in the North, conditions for many Black Americans were becoming increasingly harsh.
Rachel found references to a system called debt peonage.
Black laborers were often recruited with promises of fair wages and stable jobs.
Instead, they found themselves trapped in exploitative contracts.
Employers advanced money for housing, food, and supplies.
Then they charged such extreme interest that workers could never repay the debt.
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