Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 as the anti-slavery candidate, which caused states to start succeeding from the Union. After the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, black men were able to fight for their own freedom. Black southerners found a brief period of increased freedom and equality following the Civil War.

Originally released by Smith Productions, 2016. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on March 28, 2019.

Civil War Begins (3:51); --Black Union Soldiers (5:52); -- Post-War South (3:16); -- Reconstruction (4:48); -- Plantation Life for Slaves (3:34); -- Credits: Early Life of Blacks (0:42);.