LESSON 2:
PROBLEM 1 - HELPING FREEDMEN
FOCUS ACTIVITY
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Lesson Toolbox
Words to Knowfreedmen: were the African-Americans who had been freed from slavery after the Civil War
Freedmen's Bureau: a government agency that was set up to help former slaves and the people of the South transition from a society based on slavery to one that allowed freedom implement: means to put a plan into action Reconstruction: the time period right after the American Civil War when the nation had to rebuild resentment: feeling anger about something done to you because you felt it was unfair Sharecropping: when a freedmen raised crops for the owner of a piece of land and was paid a portion of the money from the sale of the crops society: a group of people who live together in a community that share the same basic beliefs, values, and traditions trade school: a school in which people learn how to do a job that requires special skills such as welding, plumbing, and carpentry People to KnowO.O. Howard: a former Union General and Commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau, who created many colleges and trade schools for freedmen in the South
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Red is the Confederacy and Blue is the Union
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This poster shows the conflict between Congress and President Johnson during Reconstruction
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With no education, no money, no home, and no job, freedmen needed help. They had been thrown into a society that did not want them and had no plan for making room for freedmen. So, the Freedmen's Bureau was created to help freedmen find a new place in society. The Freedmen's Bureau was a government agency that was set up to help former slaves and the people of the South transition from a society based on slavery to one that allowed freedom. |
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The Freedmen's Bureau had several responsibilities. First, they had to get emergency assistance to newly freed slaves, such as food, clothing, and temporary housing. Secondly, they had to help freedmen find jobs. The Freedmen's Bureau realized that the reason it was so difficult to help freedmen find jobs was because they had no education. So, the third major task of the Bureau was to create schools for educating freemen. The Freedmen's Bureau set up 3,000 schools to help educate black children and freedmen. |
The drawing above was in a newspaper in 1866. It shows freedmen lining up to receive emergency supplies of food.
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Sharecropper during Reconstruction
Another job of the Freedmen's Bureau was to make sure that freedmen who were sharecropping were being treated fairly. Sharecropping is when a freedmen raised crops for the owner of a piece of land and was paid a portion of the money from the sale of the crops. Sometimes arguments came up between the landowner and the sharecroppers that went to court. The Freedmen's Bureau made sure that freedmen were treated fairly in disputes that had to be settled in court.
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The Freedmen's Bureau tried to help both freemen and Southern whites get used to the change from slavery to freedom. For the most part though, Southern whites resented the North coming into the South and forcing them to do things they did not want to do. Their resentment made them fight against anything the Freedmen's Bureau tried to accomplish. The Bureau was able to accomplish some important goals thanks to the Bureau's Commissioner, O. O. Howard. Howard was a general in the Union army who wanted to help African Americans in the South. Under his leadership, Howard created many colleges and trade schools for blacks. He wanted to help freedmen learn to stand on their own so they did not have to rely on the government to help them.
A school set up by the Freedmen's Bureau
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This Political Cartoon was in Harper's Weekly. It shows a black family trapped in the society that did not want them.
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Discussion Questions1. What was the Freedmen's Bureau?
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SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Searching for Information
Directions: In this activity you are going to create a brochure which explains the responsibilities of the Freedmen's Bureau. As a group list the jobs that the Freedmen's Bureau performed. We will discuss the answers as a whole group. Then each student will create a brochure that describes the Freedmen's Bureau and the jobs it performs.
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY
Lesson Chronicles
A Lesson Chronicles Activity is an individual activity where you prove that you accomplished the lesson mission. Lesson Chronicles require you to keep a notebook or journal with a table of contents. Each entry should be dated. First, you write the lesson mission. Then you prove you "can do" whatever the mission says by answering the essential question of the lesson in PQA format. Remember PQA format means "Put the Question in the Answer".
DIRECTIONS: Below you will see today's lesson added to the Lesson Chronicles' Table of Contents and today's entry set up in PQA format. Work by yourself to prove you have completed today's mission successfully by answering the following question using what you learned today.
What was the Freedmen's Bureau? What jobs did it perform?
What was the Freedmen's Bureau? What jobs did it perform?
Name Date
Lesson 2: Problem 1 - Helping Freedmen
Lesson Mission: I can describe the Freedmen's Bureau and list the jobs it performed in the Reconstruction Era.
The Freedmen's Bureau was ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. It performed the following jobs: ____________________________________________________
HOMEWORK
Family Time
Remember, you have homework every night in Social Studies. Your homework is to show your Lesson Chronicles to your family and tell them what you learned today. Not only will this give you quality time with your family but it will help you review for your unit test.
END OF LESSON 2 MODULE
Congratulations! You have completed Lesson 2 Module!