Begin by providing students, as needed, an overview of the historical context of Reconstruction and the establishment of the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1865. This should include the goals of the Bureau, such as providing education, legal assistance, and economic support to freed African Americans.

Provide students with the excerpted copy of the Second Freedmen’s Bureau and review the introduction together:

“It was a provision of the original act establishing the Freedmen’s Bureau that Congress would have to renew the agency for it to continue functioning. By spring of 1866 it was clear that much work remained to be done. The transition to free labor had just begun, and an economic downturn was making the shift all the more challenging. In this climate, Congress began debating the provisions under which the Freedmen’s Bureau Act would be renewed. Radical Republicans in Congress sought to enlarge its powers considerably. Their proposal called for making the Bureau a permanent fixture, strengthening its system of independent courts, and providing for liberal homesteading by blacks – the oft-cited promise of “forty acres and a mule.” To the shock of Congress, the conservative President Andrew Johnson vetoed the bill, thus causing dissent among Congressional Republicans and widening the already-present breach between Johnson and Congress. The Republicans went back to the drawing board and recrafted the bill. The Bureau’s life was extended for three years, and the homesteading provisions were removed. This revised  version of the bill passed over Johnson’s veto on July 16.”

Divide students into small groups and have students analyze the document taking notes using the guided questions. Questions may include:

• What does this document reveal about the challenges still faced by freed African Americans?
• How did the Second Freedmen’s Bureau attempt to address these challenges?
• What were the successes and limitations of the Bureau’s efforts?

Reconvene as a class and facilitate a discussion based on the analysis around the economic, educational and legal freedoms affected.