How was life like for African Americans in the South?

For African Americans in the South, life after slavery was a world transformed. Gone were the brutalities and indignities of slave life, the whippings and sexual assaults, the selling and forcible relocation of family members, the denial of education, wages, legal marriage, homeownership, and more.

Explanation:

But life in the years after slavery also proved to be difficult. Although slavery was over, the brutalities of white race prejudice persisted. After slavery, state governments across the South instituted laws known as Black Codes. These laws granted certain legal rights to blacks, including the right to marry, own property, and sue in court, but the Codes also made it illegal for blacks to serve on juries, testify against whites, or serve in state militias. The Black Codes also required black sharecroppers and tenant farmers to sign annual labor contracts with white landowners. If they refused they could be arrested and hired out for work.

Most southern black Americans, though free, lived in desperate rural poverty. Having been denied education and wages under slavery, ex-slaves were often forced by the necessity of their economic circumstances to rent land from former white slave owners. These sharecroppers paid rent on the land by giving a portion of their crop to the landowner.

I'm not sure what time period you mean, but I will focus on:

The time where they were enslaved

The time when they got freedom but had to fight for rights

Explanation:

In the 17th and 18th century, many many African Americans were kiddnapped and taken from their homes in Africa and were then forced into slavery by the American colonies. They were forced to be unpaid workers on plantations, servants, and other forms of work. They were enslaved in both the north and the south, but their treatment and terms of work were much different in the south. The south's economy was mostly based on farming and plantation, so Africans were used primarly for that purpose. There was nearly 40 millions African Americans working in the south. The living conditions were terribly inhumane and horrible. They were consider to be property not humans, just a tool or a piece of equipment, and that is how the owners treated them. They were put to work everday, with no regards for health, rest, or any rights at all. They could be seperated and sold at any time, and punished with whips when they did something wrong. They could sometimes escape to the north for freedom, but that was dangerous

"Slavery officially ended in the United States on December 6, 1865, after the 13th amendment to the constitution was passed and ratified, abolishing slavery across the nation. The 13th amendment states that nobody should work as a slave or involuntary servant, except if forced by law as punishment for a crime committed." Even though this was outlawed (the civil war resulted from the south not wanting this) African Americans still had little rights. There was brutal racsim and laws were made to enforce this, called black codes. the Codes also made it illegal for blacks to serve on juries, testify against whites, or serve in state militias. The Black Codes also required black sharecroppers and tenant farmers to sign annual labor contracts with white landowners. If they refused they could be arrested and hired out for work. African Americans had to fight for more rights and this lead to the civil rights movement.  

I really hoped this helped, let me know if you need a different time period explained, or more details, Have a great day! :)