What do the freedman's bureau papers tell about african american life in the reconstruction era - Term Paper Example

?Reconstruction era in Virginia Introduction The freedman bureau also known as the: bureau of Refugees Freedom and Abandoned Lands was established as the result of the increased number of freedmen and freed women in America after the civil war. This bureau was established in the year 1865 after a debate was raised against its establishment and it took care of all matters concerning the refugees who lived in the southern states which were mainly under reconstruction following the destruction of property and land after the civil war. The bureau depended on funds and stuff contribution since there were no funds allocated to it by the central government. Commissioner General O.O Howard took control of the freedman bureau after being appointed by President Andrew Johnson and he was assisted by deputy commissioners appointed by the senate of each of the ten states which were undergoing reconstruction. The freedmen’s bureau got its funds from selling and renting the land confiscated in the south during the war though the president returned the lands the initial owners which led to lack of funds to the bureau. This move by the president caused the crisis among the freed slaves since the land was also their source of funding also making the bureau strain in providing the freed slaves with basic necessities due to lack of funds (Freedmans Bureau, NP). The freedman’s bureau is believed to have made a great impact during the reconstruction period by helping the freed slaves in reconstructing their livelihoods though it encountered the following difficulties which led to its failure in proving social welfare to the freed slaves: 1. Lack of funds The main source of funding for the freedman’s bureau was selling and renting of the confiscated land after the civil war. This source of funding was cut short after the president returned the confiscated land to their original owners hence making it difficult for the bureau to provide the freed slaves with basic amenities since they were in the initial stages of reconstructing their livelihoods (Louisa 55–56). 2. Weak organization of the bureaus internal structure The bureau structure was made up of the commissioner who was appointed by the president the assistant commissioners appointed by the senate of the states under reconstruction and agents who were appointed by the commissioner and assistant commissioners. This mode of appointment intuited that the bureau was not an independent authority since the commissioners and their assistant depended on decisions made by the authority which appoints them. This prevented them from implementing their decisions, which favored the freedmen welfare (Freedman Bureau NP). 3. Opposition from conservatives The freedman’s bureau faced a lot of opposition especially from the senate members of the northern states. This made it difficult for the bureau to implement most of its projections, which had to be passed through the senate for implementation. Some of these projections included: provision of basic needs to the freedmen and freed women in southern states. Despite many challenges faced by the freeman bureau, it contributed a lot during the reconstruction period in Virginia states, which was among the ten southern states undergoing reconstruction after the war (Freedman Bureau NP). The bureau helped the freedmen and women during reconstruction in the following ways: 1. Provision of social services During slavery, the African-American community was denied access to social amenities such as schools, hospitals, churches and entertainment. Establishment of schools by the Freemans bureau helped the African-American community to gain access to formal education, which enabled them to learn more of their history and helped them to integrate in the modern American society (Francis Rollin). The black community in America had been denied access to religion during slavery the freeman’s bureau helped to establish churches which gave the African community a sense of belonging to a particular religion established under their original believes (Murray Np). 2. Justice and Violence The freeman’s bureau pushed for the amendment of the constitution which was basically meant to favor the whites against the blacks in the southern states so that the African-American community could present their cases in courts in case of disputes. The bureau also conducted civil education to the freedmen so that it could help them to know their rights when faced with crisis in the southern states. The bureau also monitored the civil societies when the disputes involved African-Americans and also created their own courts especially when the African-Americans were not allowed to testify in a civil court (Freedmens Bereau NP). 3. Labor system During slavery, the labor system in Virginia was in a complete mess since it was only meant to favor the whites hence sidelining the African-American community who were assumed to work for their masters, which clear agreement details of the job contracts. The freeman’s bureau came up with a strategy to reconstitute and restructure the labor system in the southern state of Virginia after the civil war so that each member of the community contributed to the reconstruction of the state (Agreement between Thomas B and Ferguson and freedmen). This came as a result of many former slave masters attempts to engage the freemen into labor contracts similar to those agreed upon during slavery hence the freedmen bureau negotiated the labor contracts terms on behalf of the African-Americans to achieve fair labor and property contracts (Agreement between Thomas B and Ferguson and freedmen). 4. Family Services After the civil war, the African-Americans saw the need of establishing family structure like their fellow whites in the southern state of Virginia. The freeman’s bureau provided the African-American community with the right information in finding their relatives lost during the civil war. The bureau also helped the in mediating domestic disputes and educating people on best ways to bring up a kid in the civilized society (Louisa 55–56). The African-American community made a living by working on plantations for fixed wages, which were paid after expiry of one year contract negotiated by the freeman’s bureau. The wages were paid together with part of the obtained from the plantations which would be referred as sharecrop. The freeman’s bureau contributed to free interaction between the whites and blacks by educating people on setbacks of segregation which reduced tension and encouraged free working environment between the white and the blacks. After the war, the whites struggled in to maintain their social status which was collapsing in Virginia. The northerners who were mainly whites were conservative and did not come to terms with the freedom of African-Americans as compared to the southerners who started to work together with their colleagues after they were given the freedom (Freedmans bureau, NP) Conclusion The freeman’s bureau was successful in reconstruction of Virginia after the civil war regardless of opposition from the civil society and the conservatives from the northern and southern states. Work Cited Agreement between Thomas B and Ferguson and freedmen. No. 272. Freedman Bureau. 20 February 1866. Print available at: http://lowcountrydigital.library.cofc.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/HFF&CISOPTR=1103&REC=5 Francis Rollin. "Life and public services of Martin R Delany." 1870, NP. Print Available at: https://archive.org/stream/lifepublicservic00whiprich Freedman bureau. "Records Of Assistant Commissioner For State Of Virginia." 1870, NP. Print. Freedman bureau. Records Of The Field Offices For State Of Kentucky. Kentucky, 1865, NP. Print. Available at: http://www.archives.gov/research/microfilm/m1902.pdf Freedmans bureau. "Freedman Marriages." 1 january 1998. familly search. 27 november 2013 . Louisa Jacobs: In The Freedmen's Record, March 1866, pp. 55–56. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-civilwar/4691 Murray, Daniel. "Semi annual report on schools for freedmen." 1869, NP. Print. Available at: http://www.worldcat.org/title/semi-annual-report-on-schools-for-freedmen/oclc/11887484 and http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008958036 Read More