The Reconstruction Era following the Civil War posed significant economic challenges for African Americans that prevented them from achieving economic freedom and prosperity. One major problem was the practice of sharecropping, where freed slaves worked land owned by whites in exchange for a share of the crop. However, the land and tools provided were often inadequate, and if crops failed, it was difficult for sharecroppers to pay back their debts. Additionally, southern whites passed laws and imposed high taxes that kept African Americans from accumulating wealth and asserting economic independence. Overall, the economic system following the Civil War largely maintained the subjugation of freed slaves and distanced them from achieving true economic opportunity and equality.