Civil War Freedmen: Freedmen's Bureau Records in the Aftermath

Civil War Freedmen: Freedmen's Bureau Records In The Aftermath

In the years following the American Civil war, fought between 1961 and1965, many freedmen lost their homes, got separated from their families, and lost all claim to the little property they had. Although nearly four million slaves were freed, towns and cities in the region lay in ruins and the economy was destroyed. Faced with the challenge of restoring social order and providing assistance to the distressed freedmen, the U.S. government came up with the Freedmen's Bureau, also known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. Established in March 1965 by President Abraham Lincoln, the main aim of this Bureau was to provide relief effort to the former slaves from the south; and to facilitate the social reconstruction that would make the freedmen full citizens. The Bureau also helped them reunite with families, purchase land, establish schools, and even legalize their marriages.

In the period between 1965 and 1972, all of the Freedmen's Bureaus activities, experiences, and reconstruction projects were well documented. The records provide useful information on the freedmen's experiences after the civil war and they include telegrams, letters, marriage and medical records, which provide full details of the slaves and their masters. To better understand the work conducted by the Freedmen's Bureau, this text analyzes various correspondences from the Bureau's records. It takes a look at three categories: race, family relations, and education, and evaluates what the correspondences reveal about the freedmen's problems and journey to freedom.

The work conducted by the Freedmen's Bureau

The Freedmen's Bureau established districts and sub-districts to help relocated and settle the freedmen in the lands that were available at the time. For instance, in How's letter to Brown, he recounts how they organized five sub-districts and assigned several officers that would assist and cooperate with the freedmen in accordance with the objects of the bureau[footnoteRef:1]. The bureau also promoted education among the freedmen. In his letter to Woodbury, Tukey proposes teachers that should be hired and identifies the Shenandoah Valley that is lacking in education and urges the Bureau to establish a school there for the newly freed slaves[footnoteRef:2]. [1: W. Storer How to Orlando Brown, October 5, 1865] [2: Frederick S. Tukey to W.H. Woodbury, September 21, 1865]

The Freedmen's Bureau ensured that the freedmen had access to medication. A good example of this is when Tukey took it upon himself to arrange for transportation of one mother and her five children to a Hospital in Richmond, since she was the only hope for her children, and she was sick and did not have a home[footnoteRef:3]. How also reveals that the Bureau also investigated racial confrontations and tried to foster good relations among the African-Americans and the whites. In his letter, he explains that they facilitated unobstructed entrance into field for business and labor among African-Americans and whites and they shared facilities for education, which made them better accustomed to their relations with the whites[footnoteRef:4]. The bureau also reunited families with their loved ones[footnoteRef:5],[footnoteRef:6], helped the freedmen legalize their marriages[footnoteRef:7], and provided them with legal representation[footnoteRef:8]. [3: Frederick S. Tukey to Orlando Brown, April 25, 1866] [4: W. Storer How to Orlando Brown, October 5, 1865] [5: George T. Cook to R.S. Lacey, December 25, 1866] [6: Thomas P. Jackson to Martha Ryan, September 23, 1867] [7 U.D. Poe to P.P. Cleveland, April 30, 1867] [8: John W. Jordan to Orlando Brown, May 31, 1868]

The nature of the problems faced by free people

In the aftermath of the civil war, the freedmen were greatly discriminated against by the whites. In his letter to Lacey, Cook revealed the biasness of the Civil Courts, where all complaints about the white men by the freedmen were ignored[footnoteRef:9]. Waldo also explains that the whites were very hostile to colored schools, necessitating them to look for African-American teachers[footnoteRef:10]. The freedmen were also impoverished and they could not fend for themselves, having to rely on the Freedmen's Bureau for food, clothing, and transportation[footnoteRef:11]. [9: George T. Cook to R.S. Lacey, June 30, 1866] [10: Roswell Waldo to John A. McDonnell, November 20, 1868] [11: John P. How to W. Storer How, March 22, 1866]

The freemen did not have an education -- as evidenced by Tukey's explanation of how children from the valley had never attended even a day of schooling[footnoteRef:12]. Furthermore, there were inadequate facilities for education and the Freedman Bureau had to resort to requesting for rooms in the courthouse to be used as schools[footnoteRef:13]. They were separated from their families and they had to wait in agony as the Bureau tried to locate their loved ones[footnoteRef:14]. There were also instances where African-American's were mistreated by the whites[footnoteRef:15] [12: Frederick S. Tukey to W.H. Woodbury, September 21, 1865] [13: W. Storer How to Orlando Brown, November 1, 1865] [14: Thomas P. Jackson to John A. McDonnell, July 3, 1867] [15: P. Cleveland to [Thomas P. Jackson], May 6, 1867]

The ex-slaves definition of freedom

It is clear from the correspondences in the Freedmen's Bureaus Records that the freedmen yearned for a time where they would not be inferior to the whites. In his letter to Schofield, Irwin laments how they gave their youth, strength, and best years to the whites only to get injustice tyranny and meanness from the same whites once they became free[footnoteRef:16]. Moreover, during that time, all atrocities were blamed on the freedmen and their legal rights were often disregarded. In his letter, Cook reveals that although they pushed for fair trials in the courts, the sentiment of the public still promoted unfairness and injustice[footnoteRef:17]. [16: Nelson Irwin to John M. Schofield, October 8, 1866] [17: George T. Cook to R.S. Lacey, October 31, 1866]

Irwin's letter also explained that African-Americans were living in a reign of terror and blamed this on powerful organizations that controlled and governed by might, while at the same time defying justice and truth[footnoteRef:18]. Therefore, to the freedmen, freedom meant appreciation for the work they had done, justice, and equal opportunities. The letters also reveals that they would consider themselves free if they became educated, which would reduce their dependence on the whites for food, shelter, clothing and transportation; and also promote equality. [18: Nelson Irwin to John M. Schofield, October 8, 1866]

The abolition of slavery

The postwar conflicts reveal that the abolition of slavery started with a new moral consciousness that saw the whites fight for the fair treatment of the freedmen. For instance, in his letter to Brown, Jordan acknowledged the decline in injustices against African-Americans and asserted that it was imperative for different classes of people to fight tirelessly for fairness and justice[footnoteRef:19]. In addition, Cooks letter also revealed that he confronted the Civil Courts on their injustice and impartial nature mainly because he knew the freedmen could not manage to do it themselves. [19: John W. Jordan to Orlando Brown, July 31, 1868]

Jackson had a different approach to restoring social order and in his letter to Manly; he posited that it was hopeless to attempt to mix oil and water, referring to blacks and whites, because at the time it could not be done[footnoteRef:20]. He opined that the key to prosperity lay in education and urged the Freedmen's Bureau to promote education because it was the foundation required to promote freedom, justice and equality. In agreement with Jackson, education indeed was the main contributor to the abolishment of slavery. The conflicts saw the blacks acknowledge the importance of education, fight for equal rights and demand justice from the courts. The moral consciousness also fostered good relations between African-Americans and the whites, and they were able to reclaim their place in society and even hold senior political positions. More specifically, the post war conflicts motivated the freedmen to fight for their freedom by fighting for their rights, appreciating education, condemning discrimination and eventually; demanding justice and equality. [20: Thomas P. Jackson to R.M. Manly, February 27, 1868]