How were they treated in general? From what I can dig up, they were obviously not treated as "equals with whites" but not as bad as some places. Lots of violence. White supremacy groups killing and terrorizing a fair bit.
More of a general question, what did they view as a solution or a way to move forward? Did they want revenge on whites or simply want to go about their way?
I really do appreciate the help guys, thanks so much!
EDIT: Also, were the slaves in that area really freed when Lincoln made the emancipation proclamation or did they have to wait till the Union forces took control?
P.S. ^^Sources^if^you^can^thanks
You might be interested in looking up information about the Colfax massacre, which took place when black supporters of the Republican candidate in the disputed 1872 election took refuge in the courthouse of Grant parish in Colfax, Louisiana, and white supporters of the Democratic candidate burned the courthouse down and then slaughtered the survivors.
The incident is significant both because it was, according to Eric Foner, the bloodiest single incident of the wave of racial violence that helped end Reconstruction, and it also resulted in a crucial Supreme Court Decision, U.S. vs. Cruikshank in which the Court ruled that the 14th amendment applied only to state action, and the federal government was powerless to act against individuals who deprived others of their civil rights.