Why was
the Freedmen's Bureau established?
The Freedmen's Bureau
was originally created towards the end of the Civil
War under President Lincoln's emergency war powers
as part of the United States Department of War. The
official name of the title was the 'Bureau of
Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands'. The Freedmen's Bureau
was established due to pressure and concern of
members of the
Abolitionist
Movement for newly emancipated slaves. The number of newly
emancipated slaves (freedmen) totaled 4 million at
the end of the Civil War. The Freedman's Bureau
provided food, housing and medical aid to Freedmen.
It also established schools and offered legal
assistance to those in need.
When was
the Freedmen's Bureau established?
The Freedmen's Bureau
was established under the Freedmen's Bureau Bill on
March 3, 1865. It was intended to last for the
duration of the Civil War and for one year
afterwards, however it continued until July 1, 1869.
What was
the Purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?
The
purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau was to:
-
Perform
relief work for both black and white poor people
in war-stricken areas in the South
-
The
regulation of conditions of freedmen (black)
labor
-
The
administration of justice in cases concerning
the black freedmen
-
The
management of abandoned and confiscated property
including the redistribution of 'abandoned'
lands to former slaves
-
The support
of education for freedmen
In reality, the
Freedmen's Bureau also organized the black vote in
the South for the Republican party.
Who
created the Freedmen's Bureau?
The
Freedmen's Bureau was created by Congress, organized
by the War Department and led by General Oliver O.
Howard as its commissioner. The Freedmen's Bureau
was therefore backed by military force and its original employees and agents were Civil War
soldiers.
Where
was the Freedmen's Bureau established?
General Oliver Howard, who was given the nickname
the "Christian General", divided the Freedmen's Bureau
into 11 districts in the ex-slave states, each
headed by an assistant commissioner.
Who did
the Freedmen's Bureau help?
The Freedmen's Bureau
was created to aid and
protect emancipated slaves (freedmen) in their
transition from a life of slavery to freedom. It
also offered help to poor whites in the South.
Who
supported the Freedmen's Bureau?
The Freedmen's Bureau
was supported by President Abraham Lincoln, moderate
Republicans in Congress and members of the
Abolitionist Movement. The Freedman's Bureau was
massively under-staffed and only employed 900 agents
at its peak and lacked sufficient funds to meet
their goals. However there was additional support
from teachers who established some effective
educational programs and charitable religious
institutions.
Achievements of the Freedmen's Bureau
Many of the successes and achievements of the Freedmen's Bureau
were due to the help of missionaries and charities
who provided help with relief work providing food,
education support and medical aid. Others helped by
negotiating labor contracts, legalizing marriages
between ex-slaves and helping to locate and re-unite
relatives and families.
Who
opposed the Freedmen's Bureau?
The Freedmen's Bureau
was opposed by organizations in the South such as
the Ku Klux Klan, who intimidated the agents.
Resistance to the Bureau was also encouraged by
President Andrew Johnson's administration who were
influenced by the lenient policies of the President.
The result of this was that most of the land
confiscated from Confederates was eventually
restored to the original owners. The Freedmen's
Bureau failed totally in establishing the freed
slaves as landowners.
Problems
with the Freedmen's Bureau
Some of the agents working for the Freedmen's Bureau
were honest and honorable but unfortunately many
were corrupt, purely working for their personal
financial gain.
How did
the South view the Freedmen's Bureau?
The Freedmen's Bureau
operated as a political mechanism, organizing the
black vote for the Republican party. These political
activities were strongly resented and made the
Freedman's Bureau hated in the South. Agents were
hated and despised, many were corrupt and
incompetent, and seen as interfering in local
affairs by trying to assist freedmen at the expense
Southerners. The Reconstruction Era also brought the
Carpetbaggers into the South. The Carpetbaggers were
northerners who traveled south to insure that the
policies of the federal government would be properly
administered or simply to profit financially and
politically from their positions.
Facts about the
Freedmen's Bureau: Facts and Timeline for kids
Interesting Freedmen's Bureau Facts and Timeline for kids are
detailed below. The history of the Freedmen's Bureau is told in a
factual timeline sequence consisting of a series of interesting, short facts
providing a simple method of relating the
history of the Freedmen's Bureau for kids, schools and homework projects.
January 1, 1865: The
13th
Amendment approved in January to abolish slavery
March 3,1865: The temporary
Freedmen's Bureau Bill was passed establishing the
Freedmen's Bureau) to assist freedmen (freed
ex-slaves) in the South.
April 9, 1865:
End of the
Civil War begins with the surrender of
General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox
April 14, 1865:
Assassination of President Lincoln by James Wilkes
Booth
April 15, 1865: Death of President
Lincoln and Vice President Andrew Johnson assumes the
Presidency and presents plans for the Reconstruction Era
1865 / 1866: The
Black Codes were laws
introduced in Southern States restricting black people's
freedom and the right to own property, conduct business,
buy and lease land, and move freely through public
spaces
November, 1865: A "Colored People's
Convention" assembled at Zion Church in Charleston to
condemn the Black Codes.
December 24, 1865:
Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee
February 4, 1866: A follow-up
Freedmen’s Bureau Bill was vetoed by President Andrew
Johnson
April 9, 1866: Congress passed the
Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared "all persons born in
the United States," with the exception of American
Indians, were "hereby declared to be citizens of the
United States."
May, 1866: The Memphis Riots
mobs of white civilians and policemen rampage through
black neighborhoods
June 13, 1866: The
Fourteenth Amendment was passed by Congress
July 3, 1866: A compromise
follow-up Freedmen’s Bureau Bill was passed by Congress
and the Senate provided additional rights to ex-slaves
(Freedmen)
July 30, 1866: The New Orleans riots
in which whites attack freedmen at the Mechanics
Institute
March 2, 1867: The First of Four
Reconstruction
Acts were passed over Johnson's veto.
Second Act March 23, 1867. Third Act July 19 1867.
Fourth Act March 11, 1868. Purpose was "An act to
provide for the more efficient government of the Rebel
States"
1868: Former slave, Oscar
J. Dunn, was elected as first US Black Lieutenant
Governor, serving in Louisiana from 1868 to 1871
July 9, 1868: The
14th Amendment was ratified stating that every person born in the
US is a citizen. States must follow due process of law
before taking away any citizen's rights or property.
August 11, 1868: Radical republican
Thaddeus Stevens dies. He was a fierce supporter of land
for Freedmen
July 1, 1869: Freedmen's Bureau
ends (although education section continues for another 3
years)
February 3, 1870:
Fifteenth Amendment ratified stating that a
citizen's right to vote cannot be taken away because of
race, the color of their skin, or because they were
previously slaves.
February 23, 1870: Hiram Revels elected
to U. S. Senate as the first black senator
December 12, 1870: Joseph H. Rainey, is
the first black member sworn in as member of the House
of Representatives
1868-1876: 14 black men served
in the House of Representatives and two black men served
in the Senate
1877: Nearly 600,000 black
students, from children to the elderly, were in southern
schools by this year
Black
History for kids: Important People and Events
For visitors interested in African American History
refer to
Black History - People and Events.
A useful resource for
teachers, kids, schools and colleges undertaking
projects for the Black History Month. |