Title: Black Then | Was The Freedmen’s Bureau’s Greatest Success The Establishment Of Black Schools?
Headings: Was The Freedmen’s Bureau’s Greatest Success The Establishment Of Black Schools?
Was The Freedmen’s Bureau’s Greatest Success The Establishment Of Black Schools?
THE FREEDMEN’S BUREAU’S SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
THE FREEDMEN’S BUREAU’S DEMISE

Content: Black Then | Was The Freedmen’s Bureau’s Greatest Success The Establishment Of Black Schools? Was The Freedmen’s Bureau’s Greatest Success The Establishment Of Black Schools? 1 Posted by storyteller - June 21, 2018 - BLACK EDUCATION, LATEST POSTS, RECONSTRUCTION, SLAVERY
THE FREEDMEN’S BUREAU’S SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
The Freedmen’s Bureau was organized into districts covering the 11 former rebel states, the border states of Maryland, Kentucky and West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Each district was headed by an assistant commissioner. The bureau’s achievements varied from one location to another and from one agent to the next. Over its course of existence, the bureau was underfunded and understaffed, with just 900 agents at its peak. Bureau agents, who acted essentially as social workers and were frequently the only federal representatives in Southern communities, were subjected to ridicule and violence from whites (including terror organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan) who viewed the agents as interfering in local affairs by trying to assist blacks. While some agents were corrupt or incompetent, others were hardworking and brave and made significant contributions. During its years of operation, the Freedmen’s Bureau fed millions of people, built hospitals and provided medical aid, negotiated labor contracts for ex-slaves and settled labor disputes. It also helped former slaves legalize marriages and locate lost relatives, and assisted black veterans. The bureau also was instrumental in building thousands of schools for blacks, and helped to found such colleges as Howard University in Washington, D.C., Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia.