A LETTER FROM DUCHESS Duchess Harris After the Civil War ended in 1865 enslaved people were freed They needed support and aid in this transition period The Freedmen’s Bureau was created for this purpose The bureau is credited with helping formerly enslaved Black people set up schools and churches in the South It also gave Black people supplies and medical aid A freedom that many people take for granted is the freedom to live with family During the period of slavery enslaved people had been separated from their family members The bureau reunited formerly enslaved people with their families But some people think it did not do enough to help Black people The bureau did not have enough resources to provide aid to everyone It faced a lot of opposition in the South I hope this book helps you think about what is needed to reconstruct a community Join me on this journey to learn about the Freedmen’s Bureau and its legacy
Freedmen’s Bureau workers spoke to freed slaves throughout the South
CHAPTER ONE
REBUILDING THE SOUTH The road south out of Atlanta Georgia was crowded on November 15 1864 William T Sherman and 62,000 of his troops were on the march Sherman was a Union general The American Civil War 1861 1865 had been going on for more than three years The Union army fought for the North Their opponent was the Confederate army The Confederate army fought for the South Sherman’s forces had captured Atlanta from Confederate troops They were headed for Savannah Georgia Savannah is on the East Coast by the Atlantic Ocean This operation was called Sherman’s March to the Sea Some enslaved people escaped their slaveholders as Union troops swept through the South in 1864
