This Civil War Reconstruction political cartoon illustrates what the idea of emancipation for newly freed African American slaves in the South was
supposed to look like (center picture), i.e., a close-knit, safe, and content family, happily safe in their home. Surrounding the fantasy is what African American slaves in the South really faced after the "emancipation". The pictures depict them as being beaten, homeless, distraught, and dying.
The image main focus is in the center which depicts the ideal live of a slave after the emancipation was passed. Surrounding the center image, are smaller images that illustrate the lives of slaves before and after the emancipation was passed.
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