Were they really better off? ♥

 Yes, African-Americans were better off because they had the right of self determination. They got to do more things, like joining the army for example. But it also brought a lowering of a standard of living for some African-Americans. After the Civil war slaves had to provide for themselves and became poor sharecroppers and lived in worse conditions then they did as slaves. But still, they had the freedom to improve themselves, something they didn't have before the Civil War.