Question

Look at the illustration of the burning of a freedmen's schoolhouse in 1866 in Tennessee. Then answer the question that follows.

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Based on the illustration and your knowledge of social studies, what conclusion can be drawn about the Freedmen's Bureau in the South during Reconstruction?

A.
The Freedmen's Bureau increased racial conflict by refusing to provide aid to poor white families.

B.
The Freedmen's Bureau lacked the resources and authority to effectively combat racial violence in the region.

C.
The Freedmen's Bureau's local offices were run by Southern whites who largely supported a return to the pre–​Civil War social order.

D.
The Freedmen's Bureau focused only on major legal battles so African American and white communities could resolve issues on their own.

Answer 1

B

The illustration of a burned freedmen’s school shows that despite the Bureau’s efforts to aid freed people (schools, legal help, relief), it was underfunded, understaffed, and had limited authority to stop widespread racial violence and intimidation in the postwar South.