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How Did The Freedmen's Bureau Help African Americans

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A common misconception of the Civil War is that when it was finally over, people think that all the African Americans were immediately freed and they lived happily for the rest of their lives. Well, that is not quite accurate, as there were many things that had occurred during the time right after the American Civil War, known as the Reconstruction Era. This includes the the numerous laws and institutions that were put forth to help African Americans, such as the Reconstruction amendments. Many white Americans, especially those from the south, had opposed the idea of giving blacks the same opportunities and rights as they were given. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on January 31st, 1865, stating …show more content…

Officially recognized as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, this federal institution aided millions of African Americans and poverty-stricken white people in the southern states after the Civil War. The Freedmen’s Bureau was able to accomplish many things in its years of operation, such as building new schools, colleges, and medical institutions; supplying food and medical provisions; and providing legal help by arranging employment agreements for African Americans. The Bureau was quite effective with hardworking agents, as they were able to contribute notably to the cause of the Bureau with its numerous accomplishments. In addition, they did not have a sufficient amount of funding and employees. But, some employees were not very diligent in their work as they were unscrupulous. Even though the Freedmen’s Bureau was able to provide a lot to the African Americans in the South, it was unsuccessful in arranging continued protection and racial equality for African …show more content…

White supremacist groups were formed, such as the Ku Klux Klan organization. They caused violence against African Americans who believed that white people were not supreme. Particularly in Memphis and in New Orleans, many blacks were killed or wounded, and the burning of schools contributed to the anti-black violence. So, Reconstruction, which was to improve to condition of African Americans, was quite unsuccessful as it caused white Americans in the South to cause turmoil for the African Americans. The situation faced by blacks and the conditions they had to live under was not made better by

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