The U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands opened in 1865. It was also known as the Freedmen's Bureau. The agency was started to help formerly enslaved Black people and poor white people in the South after the Civil War. About 4 million enslaved people gained their freedom after the war. However, the war also hurt many communities and destroyed Southern businesses that depended on enslaved people. The Freedmen's Bureau gave people food, housing and health care. It started schools, offered legal help and tried to give land to formerly enslaved people. However, the Freedmen's Bureau wasn't fully successful. Many white people in the South were against it, and the government finally closed it in 1872.

Question

Creation of the Freedmen's Bureau
Lawmakers created the Freedmen's Bureau on March 3, 1865. Two months later, the Civil War ended. The Freedman's Bureau was not meant to be around forever. Rather, it was designed to last just the length of the war and one year afterward.

Opposition to the Freedmen's Bureau
The period after the Civil War was called Reconstruction. It was a difficult time in America. The nation struggled with how to repair the South and help the 4 million formerly enslaved people live as free men and women. Until that point, the government had never helped a huge population like this. It did not have the workers it needed to successfully run a program as large as the Freedmen's Bureau.

From the start, many people did not like the Freedmen's Bureau, including many white Southerners. Another person who opposed the Bureau was President Andrew Johnson. He became president in April 1865 after Abraham Lincoln was killed. Johnson did what he could to hurt the Bureau. He forgave many former Confederates and gave them back their land. He also got rid of Bureau workers he thought were too kind to Black people.

The Freedmen's Bureau's Successes and Failures
The Freedmen's Bureau was organized into districts in the South. Some districts achieved more than others. The Bureau never had enough money or people. It never had more than 900 agents, or workers. Whites attacked and made fun of them, including white terror groups like the Ku Klux Klan. These groups felt the agents were interfering in local matters by trying to help Black people. Some agents were bad, but others were hardworking and brave and made a big difference.

The Freedmen's Bureau fed millions of people. It built hospitals and provided health care. It also tried to get businesses to treat formerly enslaved people fairly. The Freedmen's Bureau built thousands of schools and helped to start Black colleges like Howard University.

The Bureau also tried to give land to formerly enslaved people, but did not have much success. The land had been owned by Southerners but was abandoned or taken by the government. In the end, it was eventually given back to its original white owners. As a result, Black folks had little opportunity to own land.

The Freedmen's Bureau's Demise
In the summer of 1872, Congress shut down the Freedmen's Bureau. Since that time, historians have argued whether the agency was successful. Many Southerns opposed it, and the Bureau did not have enough money. As a result, it could not do everything it had planned. However, the Bureau was important in another way. It was the first time the government had become involved in feeding and housing many people and making sure they were treated fairly. The book "The Freedmen's Bureau and Reconstruction" says that the agency "helped awaken Americans to the promise of freedom." For a time, the agency showed many citizens what equal rights and freedom really meant.
When was the Freedmen's Bureau established?
*
A) 1861
B) 1865
C) 1872
D) 1880
What was the primary purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?
*
A) To create new laws
B) To form military regiments
C) To rebuild Southern infrastructure
D) To help formerly enslaved Black people and poor white people
How many formerly enslaved people gained their freedom after the Civil War?
*
A) 2 million
B) 4 million
C) 6 million
D) 8 million
What services did the Freedmen's Bureau provide?
*
A) Food, housing, and health care
B) Education and transportation
C) Only food and housing
D) Land distribution only
When did the Freedmen's Bureau close?
*
A) 1860
B) 1862
C) 1865
D) 1872
Who was president when the Freedmen's Bureau was created?
*
A) Ulysses S. Grant
B) Andrew Johnson
C) Abraham Lincoln
D) Theodore Roosevelt
What was one reason the Freedmen's Bureau struggled to be successful?
*
A) The Bureau lacked enough workers and funds
B) There was too much support from the South
C) The South supported the Bureau entirely
D) Lack of legal support
Who opposed the Freedmen's Bureau?
*
A) President Andrew Johnson
B) Northern lawmakers
C) Black Southerners
D) Union generals
What did President Andrew Johnson do to hurt the Freedmen's Bureau?
*
A) He expanded its role
B) He made the Bureau permanent
C) He took away the Bureau's funding
D) He pardoned many former Confederates and gave back their land
What was a key success of the Freedmen's Bureau?
*
A) Building thousands of schools
B) Forming a military unit
C) Giving land to all Black people
D) Strengthening the economy
Which group targeted the Freedmen's Bureau workers?
*
A) Northern abolitionists
B) The Ku Klux Klan
C) Union soldiers
D) Freedmen
What was one of the failures of the Freedmen's Bureau?
*
A) It was unable to give land to formerly enslaved people
B) It didn’t build any schools
C) It couldn’t provide food to Southern citizens
D) It lacked public support in the North
What happened to land that had been taken from Southerners and given to the Freedmen's Bureau?
*
A) It was sold to Black farmers
B) It was left to the Freedmen's Bureau
C) It was given back to the original white owners
D) It was divided among the formerly enslaved people
How many agents did the Freedmen's Bureau have at most?
*
A) 900
B) 1,000
C) 5,000
D) 10,000
What did the Freedmen's Bureau help establish in the South?
*
A) Schools and hospitals
B) Industrial factories
C) New railroads
D) Public parks
What was the period after the Civil War called?
*
A) The New Deal
B) The Reconstruction
C) The Progressive Era
D) The Industrial Revolution
What did the Freedmen's Bureau teach formerly enslaved people?
*
A) Reading and writing
B) Military tactics
C) Cooking
D) Farming
What organization did the Freedmen's Bureau help start?
*
A) The Ku Klux Klan
B) Howard University
C) The American Red Cross
D) The Southern Poverty Law Center
Who benefited from the Freedmen's Bureau's food distribution?
*
A) Union soldiers
B) Only Black people
C) Only white Southerners
D) Formerly enslaved people and poor whites
What long-term effect did the Freedmen's Bureau have on America?
*
A) It helped awaken Americans to the promise of freedom
B) It permanently gave land to all Black people
C) It led to the rise of new political parties
D) It led to the end of the Civil War
TRUE or FALSE: President Andrew Johnson was supportive of the Freedmen's Bureau.
*
True
False
TRUE or FALSE: The Freedmen's Bureau successfully gave land to most formerly enslaved people.
*
True
False
TRUE or FALSE: The Freedmen's Bureau lasted from 1865 to 1872.
*
True
False

Answer 1

Here are the answers based on the provided text.

1. When was the Freedmen's Bureau established?

   • B) 1865

2. What was the primary purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau?

   • D) To help formerly enslaved Black people and poor white people

3. How many formerly enslaved people gained their freedom after the Civil War?

   • B) 4 million

4. What services did the Freedmen's Bureau provide?

   • A) Food, housing, and health care

5. When did the Freedmen's Bureau close?

   • D) 1872

6. Who was president when the Freedmen's Bureau was created?

   • C) Abraham Lincoln

7. What was one reason the Freedmen's Bureau struggled to be successful?

   • A) The Bureau lacked enough workers and funds

8. Who opposed the Freedmen's Bureau?

   • A) President Andrew Johnson

9. What did President Andrew Johnson do to hurt the Freedmen's Bureau?

   • D) He pardoned many former Confederates and gave back their land

10. What was a key success of the Freedmen's Bureau?

    • A) Building thousands of schools

11. Which group targeted the Freedmen's Bureau workers?

    • B) The Ku Klux Klan

12. What was one of the failures of the Freedmen's Bureau?

    • A) It was unable to give land to formerly enslaved people

13. What happened to land that had been taken from Southerners and given to the Freedmen's Bureau?

    • C) It was given back to the original white owners

14. How many agents did the Freedmen's Bureau have at most?

    • A) 900

15. What did the Freedmen's Bureau help establish in the South?

    • A) Schools and hospitals

16. What was the period after the Civil War called?

    • B) The Reconstruction

17. What did the Freedmen's Bureau teach formerly enslaved people?

    • A) Reading and writing

18. What organization did the Freedmen's Bureau help start?

    • B) Howard University

19. Who benefited from the Freedmen's Bureau's food distribution?

    • D) Formerly enslaved people and poor whites

20. What long-term effect did the Freedmen's Bureau have on America?

    • A) It helped awaken Americans to the promise of freedom

21. TRUE or FALSE: President Andrew Johnson was supportive of the Freedmen's Bureau.

    • False

22. TRUE or FALSE: The Freedmen's Bureau successfully gave land to most formerly enslaved people.

    • False

23. TRUE or FALSE: The Freedmen's Bureau lasted from 1865 to 1872.

    • True