Background of theFreedmen’s Bureau

The Freedmen's Bureau, officially known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, was a U.S. government agency established during the Reconstruction era in 1865. It was created to provide assistance to millions of former enslaved black Americans and poor whites in the South who were displaced and impoverished as a result of the Civil War.

The primary objective of the Bureau was to provide food, clothing, and medical care to the newly liberated Black individuals. Additionally, the Bureau played a crucial role in establishing Black schools, churches and other social institutions, extending education to both freedmen and impoverished Whites, and settling labor contract disputes between White and Black individuals.

The Freedmen's Bureau was also responsible for overseeing the redistribution of land confiscated from Confederate sympathizers during the war. It actively worked towards land acquisition for freedmen. However, these efforts were often met with opposition from White Southerners who were resistant to the political and social empowerment of African Americans.

The Freedmen's Bureau persisted until its dissolution in 1872. Its enduring legacy had a lasting impact on the lives of millions of African Americans who, through the bureau’s programs, gained access to education, economic independence, and other opportunities.