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The Effects of Reconstruction

The years following the Civil War were a dark period in the history of race relations in America. The North's "Reconstruction" of the defeated South was seriously flawed from the beginning, and despite the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution that abolished slavery, made blacks full citizens of the United States, and gave black males the right to vote, the situation did not dramatically improve for many ex-slaves for some time.

Eventually, Southern leaders, many former leaders of the Confederacy, instituted "Jim Crow" laws, effectively barring most ex-slaves from exercising their rights of citizenship. The years 1865-1900, when many blacks were freed from the shackles of slavery yet struggled to find a place in American society, shaped the nature of the blues as much or more than the era of slavery itself. This is because the end of slavery had an enormous impact on the demographic nature of the United States.

For the first time in history blacks were free to move throughout America. This movement was spurred by a number of factors, ranging from the promise of steady work in the more industrial north to a desire to leave the South and its repressive Jim Crow laws. The Mississippi River served as one of the major arteries for this migration, and towns all along the great river from Minneapolis to New Orleans witnessed many former Southern blacks taking up residence and many more simply moving through on their way to other destinations. St. Louis was one of the major stopping points.

Because of its geographical location, St. Louis became a key point not only for south-north migration, but also east-west movement, so that it became not only a gateway to the unsettled west but also to the industrial north. Its position as one of the major cities in America only increased as the system of railroads grew rapidly following the Civil War. From all over the South, former slaves migrated towards St. Louis and East St. Louis on their way west or north to Chicago and the other industrial towns.

Somewhere along the way, St. Louis developed a reputation as a Mecca of music for black Americans. Why the first black musicians came to St. Louis can never be known, but they created an enduring legacy that served as a beacon for all who followed. For this reason, as the blues congealed into form throughout the South, its greatest practitioners were inexorably drawn north along the Mississippi River to the prototypical river town: St. Louis, Missouri.

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