2.+Freedman's+Bureau,+Black+Codes+and+Override

 __Freedmen’s Bureau__ After the Civil War the Freedmen’s Bureau was established to allow newly freed blacks a place to go for guidance. It was planned by Abraham Lincoln before the war had even finished, but he was not able to execute his plan before his death. Fortunately Congress was able to establish the Freedmen’s on March 6, 1865. It was planned to be functioning for only one year, but after seeing its results Congress extended its life on July 16, 1866 overriding the veto of President Andrew Johnson. An override is when the Legislative creates a Bill but then it is vetoed by the President, but then Congress passes it and it becomes a law. It was placed under control of the War Department and was commissioned by Major General Oliver O. Howard. Due to the lack of success, in 1869 Congress terminated the Bureau’s work except for education which was closed in 1870. The goals of the Freedmen’s Bureau were to establish a place for blacks to go after they received their freedom. Since they’ve been in slavery for their whole lives they did not know any other way to live, much less what was in the world outside the plantation. It was much like today’s homeless centers, people could come and stay, be fed, and have someplace to sleep off the streets. White workers would provide help finding jobs either in the Bureau or outside the Bureau, most likely back on a plantation. Due to the Black Codes, the Bureau was forced to build Black only Hospitals, Courts, Colleges and over 1,000 Schools. Even with help from the Freedmen’s Bureau most Blacks only found work available on farms and plantations. They were only paid little for the same work they did for free as slaves. Though, if a Black came with a Bureau worker they would generally get paid more than a slave who came on his own. This happened because without any experience, a black would usually settle for a much lower wage than they deserved. The Bureau confiscated over 850,000 acres, with a court order, and gave them to blacks for them to resettle. President Andrew Johnson did not agree so he quickly returned all the land back to the former Confederates.

The South still felt that Blacks were less than citizens so they created the Black Codes. The Black Codes were basic laws that limited the rights of Blacks. Each state created their own Codes in 1865. Most were enforced until 1866, when they were stopped and replaced with less harsh Codes. The Codes limited every aspect of a Black’s life. They said that they couldn’t go to a same restaurant, school, hospital, or stores as Whites. If a Black worked on a farm he would have to get written permission to go into town or anywhere else, if he didn’t have one he would face imprisonment. They would have to apply to the government to obtain the right to own land and get married. The Codes dictated that they would need to sign a contract to hold a job; most of these contracts were long term. The contracts also forced long work hours and said that if they violated any rules they would be fired and never rehired. Many southerners believed that Blacks could only work as farm laborers. So if a black wanted to pursue a different career they would have to apply for a license. The Black Codes combined with the lack of jobs anywhere other than farms, made life of a free Black not much different than a slave’s life. 
 * Black Codes **

Reasons for the End of the Freedman's Bureau Black Codes and the Freedman's Bureau were ultimatly created to change a slave owning region into a region where all men work together and lived together as equals. Unfortunatly, the Freedman's Bureau was terminated in July 1872. Although the Bureau did many good things, such as providing education for many people, the Bureau did many things wrong. Things such as giving abandoned or confiscated land to the freed slaves became a problem. President Andrew Johnson had to give back 850,000 acres of land to the Southerners. Also, the Bureau created many jobs, most led back to the plantation. This led back to an enormous amount of sharecropping arrangements.

McElrath, J (2009). The Freedmen's Bureau. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from About.com Web site: []

McElrath, J (2009). The Black Codes of 1865. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from About Web site: []   By: Harry Krantz