How did life in the South change for blacks after the Civil War ?

With the
exception of a short time during Reconstruction, life for African Americans in the South did not
change that much, particularly in the economic and political realms.

Politically and economically, African Americans remained very much marginalized.  There
were, of course, some African Americans who participated in the Reconstruction governments.
 However, this did not last long at all.  Within two decades, blacks would be essentially
disenfranchised and have little more in the way of political rights than when they were
enslaved.  Economically, African Americans remained on the very bottom.  Most blacks were
sharecroppers or tenant farmers.  They were often indebted to the extent that they were
essentially tied to the land on which they worked. 

Socially, there were some
real changes.  Most importantly, African Americans were free.  They were able to keep their
families together without fear of being sold.  African American women were no longer subject to
the sexual whims of their owners.  African Americans were able to start creating their own
vibrant communities in ways that had not been possible under slavery.