Freedmen's Bureau

American  

[freed-menz byoor-oh] / ˈfrid mɛnz ˌbyʊər 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

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

The 1866 Freedmen’s Bureau Act then expanded upon the prior year’s law, authorizing the Bureau to care for all loyal refugees and freedmen.

From Slate • Jul. 20, 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

The federal government no longer made any effort to enforce federal civil rights legislation, and funding for the Freedmen’s Bureau was slashed to such a degree that the agency became virtually defunct.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander