President Grant was willing to suspend habeaus corpus to insure the 15th Amendment, establishing
voting rights for freedman, was enforced.  He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 which entitled
equal treatment in public accommodations and jury selection for Black Americans.

During his Administration, The Ku Klux Klan was vigorously prosecuted. There were 1000 indictments
against Klan members, over 550 convictions.  Leaders of the various racist organisations were
imprisoned for up to five years in federal penitentiary.

Because of this, there was a sharp decrease in violence in the South and Black Americans
enjoyed the freedom they had been granted.

Grant was succeeded by Rutherford B. Hayes.

Hayes ended Reconstruction.  He withdrew federal troops within two months of taking office.
Shortly after ‘Jim Crow‘ laws spread around the country. These laws prevented African Americans
from voting and stripped them of many rights they had gained and the protection Grant  had
insured by deployment of those troops.

Hayes was voted out of office in 1881.

James Garfield was elected, but only served six months before being assassinated and was
succeeded by Chester A. Arthur who  was reluctant to enforce the 15th amendment and never
attempted to overturn ‘Jim Crow’ laws.

In 1886 Grover Cleveland became president. He too did not enforce the 15th Amendment.
While he claimed to be against lynchings, did nothing to stop them, despite having the power
so to do.

During the break in Cleveland’s non consecutive terms, Benjamin Harrison became President.
Although he spoke against lynching, he didn’t believe the federal government had the power
to stop it.

Cleveland returned to office in 1893 and was succedded by William McKinley. He, as his
predecessors, did nothing in relation to Civil rights. Segregation now became the official
law of the United States.

At the close of the Civil War in 1864, Black Americans gained equality which they held until
Grant left office in 1877. 

Legal segregation lasted until the 1960s. By 1970 formal racial discrimination was illegal.
Hence it was over one hundred years after slavery was abolished in the United States that
African Americans  actually gained equality.