What effect did Reconstruction have on former slaves? Were they better off after Reconstruction than they were before the Civil War?

     Reconstruction had little effect on the life of a former slave. Former slaves would be unable to get any job other than the work that they did as slaves, and this work would be contracted unfairly towards the former slave, as well as would charge them some of the income they made just to use the tools they needed to work. Some slaves were worse off during reconstruction than in slavery, as they would go through intense poverty and be unable to feed themselves or at any rate their families.
     However, reconstruction did have good effects on some former slaves. Any of the slaves that managed to get a good job or worked hard enough to be able to feed your family had a better life than being a slave. A slave that managed to get a good job can feed their families and live in a good home, or even possibly move to the North. A slave that worked hard enough on a low income job would have the ability to feed their family and live in a similar home to one they had as a slave, without the physical abuse or in some cases, the 24/7 work hours.
     The reconstruction was good for some former slaves and in fewer cases worse for others. The reconstruction    overall was a better trade for the slaves overall in my opinion, as many slaves were better off if only slightly, as well as the reconstruction leads to race equality in the future.

     I believe the South should have been granted amnesty. I believe this because sending the South to jail or giving them fines would cause one if not all of three major problems.
     The first problem would be the South simply starting a second civil war, and everyone knows that will only cause a loop of awful fighting and aggression and increase the death count like nobody has ever seen. The second problem would leave the North and the South in a permanent hatred of each other, causing many problems in the political and social classes of our country. The third major problem that not granting the South amnesty would cause is fines so heavy that the South would be confined to poverty and forced to illegally use slavery and other cruel methods just to generate enough money to live on, recreating the South as it was before the Civil War.
     Moreover, not granting the South amnesty would cause major problems throughout the country, leaving permanent damage between the people of both sides.