What effect did Reconstruction have on former slaves? Were they better off after Reconstruction than they were before the Civil War?

The reconstruction had many effects on former slaves. first it gave former slaves all the rights that white people had. Second former slaves got more responsibility because now they had to make money to spend on their family and farm. I think that they had a better life as slaves because they had a free place to stay and free food instead of barley having food and paying the land owner for land to stay in and giving them most of their crops.