Freedmen's Bureau

• In March 1865, Congress established the Freedmen's Bureau to assist newly freed slaves in transitioning from slavery to freedom in the southern states
• Initially, the agency focused on providing basic necessities like food, housing, clothing, and medical aid to ex-slaves
• The Freedmen's Bureau later shifted towards long-term projects to help ex-slaves adjust to their new lives
• One significant role of the bureau was arranging and supervising work contracts between plantation owners and workers, often including whole families
• Former slaves often worked for their former owners for wages, as the bureau's hopes of massive land redistribution in the South were thwarted
• The bureau helped legalize marriages of former slaves and issued certificates to prove relationships, as well as assisted in reuniting families separated during slavery
• The bureau supported African-Americans in establishing their own churches by aiding in fundraising for land, buildings, and salaries
• The Freedmen's Bureau played a major role in education, collaborating with Northern religious groups to establish schools and colleges in the South
• By the end of 1865, over 90,000 former slaves were enrolled in public schools, and by 1870, there were over 1,000 schools in the South for the education of former slaves
• Despite its positive impact, the agency faced issues of corruption, inefficiency, misappropriation of funds, and political manipulation, leading to its discontinuation by Congress in 1872