8.11.3

Understand the effects of the freedmen's Bureau and the restrictions placed on the rights and opportunities of freedmen, including racial segregation and "Jim crow" laws.
             Primary hopes for African American after the Civil War during the stage of Reconstruction, Freedmen's Bureau designed to assist the former slaves as they commenced their precariousness for freedom and self sufficiency, Jim Crow Laws were made to separate African Americans from Whites in public places where they might come in contact with one another. Freedmen's Bureau, established by Congress in March 1865. This organization only intended to persist a year, long enough to help the freed slaves start their new life. But, February 1866, Congress adjudicated to continue the Freedmen's Bureau, and would resume Freedmen's Bureau until 1869. Freedmen's Bureau distributed food, clothing, fuel, and estate for the homeless freedmen.
             To prevent African Americans from voting, southern states passed laws to limit their voting rights. Many states required poll tax and African American male had to pass certain educational test to be eligible to vote. Many freedmen did not have the money to vote. Laws were also passed to segregate society, such as Jim Crow Laws. "WHITE PEOPLE WILL SEAT FRONT OF THE CAR TOWARD THE BACK AND COLORED PEOPLE FROM REAR TOWARD THE FRONT", one of the restrictions placed on African Americans were posted above car doors as a reminder. In many areas, African Americans were excluded from amusement parks, bowling alleys, and swimming pools; all recreational facilities. Signs to notify the African American that they were banned said "Negroes and Dogs Not Allowed".
             Records relating to murders and outrages and reports of murders, outrages, and riots were submitted in tabular or narrative form. Most of the reports pertain to crimes committed by whites against freedmen, but crimes of whites against whites, freedmen against freedmen, and freedmen against whites were also reported. Although the issues of violence were not the main concerns for the Freedmen's Bureau, but the lack from local autorities in dealing with these issues forced the Bureau to receive the cases not taken by the court. Whites expressed their anger was to attack freedmen. The freedmen found little protection or justice from the local autorities, which often had been the same whites that had beat them. the cases were never addressed by the local autorities to the Freedmen's Bureau, and as a result violence remained a commen event in the reconstruction period.
             Black children could not attend the same school as white children. In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson, the US Supreme Court ruled that separate facilities for different races were legal as long as those facilities were equal to one another. Under reconstruction, African Americans gained greater equality and were able to create their own institutions but the south soon created a segregated society. After the revolution, African American gradually lost all the rights they had gained. " The slaves went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again towards slavery".


More Information:

   1.    http://www.africana.com/Utilities/Content.html?&../cgi-bin/banner.pl?banner=Education&../Articles/tt_026.htm

   2.    http://http://americanhistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fmemory.loc.gov%2Fammem%2Fndlpedu%2Ffeatures%2Ftimeline%2Fcivilwar%2Frecontwo%2Frecontwo.html