Have students independently read Black Past’s summary of the Freedmen’s Bureau (external resource). As they read, students should take notes on new information. Lead a brief opening discussion using the following questions to check for understanding and activate prior knowledge:

• What interested or surprised you about the reading?
• Describe the Freedmen’s Bureau in your own words. What were its goals? What did it do?
• From this introduction, do you think the Freedmen’s Bureau was a success? Why or why not?
• The Freedmen’s Bureau was just one government agency (of many) responsible for supporting formerly enslaved people after emancipation. What other agents or departments of the government does the reading mention, or do you expect were important in meeting this goal?

Divide students into two groups. One group is assigned to argue that the U.S. government was helpful to formerly enslaved people after emancipation, and the other is assigned to argue that the U.S. government was more harmful than helpful. Give all students access to the following primary and secondary sources for their research:

• Requests for Intervention Sent to the Freedmen’s Bureau
• George Cole’s Description of Mutiny by His All-Black Brigade in the Union Army
• Army Report from A.B. Randall
• A Grandmother’s Letter to the Freedmen’s Bureau
• Protest Memorial Sent to President Andrew Johnson
• Teacher’s Monthly Report and Rules
• Freedmen’s Bureau Labor Contract
• Photo: Dealing Out Rations in Uniontown

Students work in their team to prepare an opening statement and central argument. They should support their claims with evidence from the sources and additional research as needed. Run the debate with the following schedule:

• Opening statements from both sides (2 minutes each)
• Main arguments from both sides (5 minutes each)
• Time to regroup and compose a rebuttal (5 minutes)
• Rebuttals from both sides (2 minutes each)
• Closing statements from both sides (2 minutes each)

Students reflect on the debate by writing a paragraph in response to one of the following questions:

• In what ways was the Freedmen’s Bureau successful in assisting newly emancipated Black Americans? In what ways did it fail?
• How was the federal government helpful to those experiencing emancipation? How was it harmful?
• To what extent did emancipation’s promise match its reality for Black Americans?