The Freedman's Bureau

The Freedmen Bureau was the federal institution in control of those terrains given to blacks and now they had to take it back. Under the administration of O. O. Howard the bureau functions were to "establish schools, provide aide to the poor and aged, settle disputes between whites and blacks and among freedpeople, and secure for former slave and white Unionist equal treatment before court," (Foner 483). The Bureau did not have enough agents to put in action the task appointed to it in the south. The Freedmen Bureau was dissolved after five years living the black man on its own.

Another important characteristic of the Reconstruction after the civil war was the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Its responsibilities according to Foner (2014) were related with social work, “ Bureau agents were supposed to establish schools, provide aid to the poor and aged, settle disputes between whites and blacks and among the freedpeople, and secure for former slaves and white Unionists equal treatment before the courts” (p. 562) . Still, the Bureau lasted only until 1870, but made many achievements helping the black community.

Following the Civil War, America was in shambles. There were many groups with strong, conflicting ideas of how things should be. However, most groups had one idea in common: reducing the rights of African Americans as much as possible. Freed slaves had very little freedom under the law, were treated like a lesser species by those around them, and faced dangerous environments everywhere they went. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation may have legally freed slaves, but African Americans were barely more than paid slaves.

They helped provide education for the freed African Americans. According to the Virginia Historical Society, they say, “they used their authority over former confederate properties to provide buildings for schools.” The Freedman’s Bureau wanted to make sure that African Americans had a proper education because they were deprived of education while they were growing up. The Virginia Historical Society says, “the Freedman’s Bureau, missionary associations, and African Americans themselves funded the schools; many of the mostly white, female teachers came from the south with the missionary associations.” The Bureau wanted this to be successful and with the help of the missionary associations and the African Americas to fund the schools, it would make it a reality. The Freedman’s Bureau did everything that they could to make sure the African

The Bureau was renewed by a Congressional bill in 1866 but was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson, who thought it was unconstitutional. Johnson was opposed to having the federal government secure black rights. Congress passed the bill over his veto. Southern whites were basically opposed to blacks having any rights at all, and the Bureau lacked military force to back up its authority as the army had been quickly disbanded and most of the soldiers assigned to the Western frontier. The Bureau was able to accomplish some of its goals, especially in the field of education. frontier. The Bureau was able to accomplish some of its goals, especially in the field of education.

The creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau suggests a great deal about the South during the Reconstruction era of the United States. The Bureau was created to help emancipated slaves and refugees have some kind of access to land. Along with access to land, the Bureau itself was “empowered to distributes clothing, food, and fuel” to those who have become free men. In my opinion, I believe the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau answered the question of citizenship in the sense that freedmen should be considered citizens right off the bat. Back then, owning property was a huge part of citizenship. By providing help with access to land, freedmen had the chance to become an equal citizen.

2) Freedman’s Bureau: Congress created this in March of 1865 in order to provide help for thousands of poor black and white southerners uprooted by the fighting. They were educated in Freedman Schools, housed, and fed. “Plenty to eat, nothing to do” (pg. 404)

“The Freedmen's Bureau” was created and placed under military supervision because Congress saw a need to defend Black settlers from racist White

With the era of American Reconstruction in America during the mid to late 1800’s came a sense of opportunity and hope for its people. America was on the move as nation, railroads being built faster than ever and the freedmen looking to find their niche in society. Although in the beginning the government provided support for these new citizens, efforts toward reconstruction faded as the years passed. Those efforts faded to a point where they were all but nonexistent, and with the unwritten Compromise of 1877, what feeble efforts that were left of reconstruction were now all but dead. Politically, reconstruction failed to provide equality by pulling Federal troops from the South, allowing former Confederate officials and slave owners

According to Dubois the Freedmen's Bureau failed because it was prevented from fully carrying out its programs due to lack of funds, personnel, politics of race, and Reconstruction. They needed money and help from Congress to succeed.

Objective of this paper is to discuss where the following agencies lie in the administrative structure of the federal government:

During the time of Reconstruction, the federal government did little to help the people of America as a whole, they concentrated on bettering African American lives and “reconstructing” the South. The focus during this time period was to protect the rights of African Americans, which had long and hard been fought for. The federal government made it their priority to ensure equal rights among all black people. Also, the readmission of the Confederate states was essential to the federal

Abolitionists and Republicans said that the government had a responsibility to help freed slaves of the South in adjusting to their new freedom. The agency did not receive direct funding, and it was expected that it would pay for itself by selling confiscated and abandoned property. At first it was unable to pay salaries to the agents that worked there. Because of the lack of money, the bureau failed to make a large mark throughout the South

One of the first promising step that the government took towards making the transition from slavery to freedom easier for the freedmen was by creating the Freedmen’s Bureau. The original purpose of the bureau was to provide things like protection, advice, and economic, social, and educational services (Goldfield, The American Journey, vol. 2, 356). Because of the bureau the literacy rate among black southerners was able to rise from 10 percent to 30 percent within a decade fallowing the end of the Civil War (Goldfield, 357). At first this seemed to make the transition easier, however when the bureau fell apart in 1872 the former slaves in the south started to have a harder time receiving the proper education that they deserved. When the 15th

For the ex-slaves this was a difficult and confusing time. They were free, but didn’t have anywhere to go and no money. Many didn’t want to leave the plantations that their families have been farming for generations. The Freedman’s Bureau was given control of abandoned or confiscated land and was authorized to give it to black settlers and in 1865 40,000 black farmers were working on 300,000 acres of what they thought would be their own land. President Johnson pardoned the owners of most of the land consigned to the ex-slaves they were never able to purchase this land. The black men settled for wage labor from their previous owners and then developed contract labor system, and eventually sharecropping. When the blacks were allowed to