Freedmen's Bureau

The Freedmen’s Bureau, formally known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, was established by an act of Congress on March 3, 1865 to help millions of former black slaves and poor whites in the South after the Civil War. It also provided food, housing and medical aid, established schools and offered legal assistance and provided practical aid to 4,000,000 newly freed African Americans in their transition from slavery to freedom.

President Johnson had opposed the Freedmen's Bureau and his attitude encouraged many people, especially white Southerners, to challenge the Bureau. Finding doctors and nurses who would treat freedmen was a big problem. The Freedman's Bureau distributed fifteen million rations of food to freedmen during its existence. Originally the agency set up to aid in this transition was going to be named the Bureau of Emancipation. But, when the bill came up for a vote on March 1, 1864 the name was changed to the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.

“The sum of our recommendations is this: Offer the freedmen temporary aid and counsel until they become a little accustomed to their new sphere of life; secure to them, by law, their just rights of person and property; relieve them, by a fair and equal administration of justice, from the depressing influence of disgraceful prejudice; above all, guard them against the virtual restoration of slavery in any form, and let them take care of themselves. If we do this, the future of the African race in this country will be conducive to its prosperity and associated with its well-being. There will be nothing connected with it to excite regret to inspire apprehension."

https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-freedmens-bureau/

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedmens-bureau. .