Freedmen's Bureau

American  

[freed-menz byoor-oh] / ˈfrid mɛnz ˌbjʊər oʊ /

noun

U.S. History.

1. an agency of the War Department set up in 1865 to assist formerly enslaved people, freed from slavery by emancipation, in obtaining relief, land, jobs, fair treatment, and education.

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Example Sentences

By 1867, Congress was legislating on the subject, creating a federal Department of Education to work alongside the Freedmen’s Bureau and continue its work after the bureau inevitably wound down.

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2025

Rebecca Crumpler threw herself into her work with the Freedmen's Bureau, rushing from patient to patient, tending to the freed slaves that many of the white doctors refused to touch.

From Scientific American • Nov. 2, 2023

It ignores laws like the Freedmen's Bureau Act, enacted at the same time as the 14th Amendment in an intentionally race-conscious way.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2023

Williams cites the Freedmen’s Bureau, which Washington established in former Confederate states to provide legal protection and economic assistance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2023

Soon after the Civil War, the Freedmen’s Bureau established schools for blacks, a task also undertaken by many churches and missionary societies.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson