What setback affected the policy of 'forty acres and a mule'?

The policy of 'forty acres and a mule' aimed to provide land to formerly enslaved African Americans after the Civil War. This policy was intended to help them achieve economic independence and integrate into society as free citizens. The significant setback to this policy occurred when President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln, reversed the allocations of land to former slaves before they could be implemented.

Johnson’s approach was more lenient towards the Southern states and favored the restoration of land to former Confederate landowners, which undermined the original intentions of land redistribution. His administration effectively halted many of the initiatives intended for the newly freed African Americans, thereby leaving them without the promised land and resources needed to thrive after emancipation. This governmental reversal was a crucial factor in the failure of the 'forty acres and a mule' policy, leading to ongoing economic struggles for African Americans in the post-war era.