Freedmen's Bureau bills
Encyclopedia
The Freedmen's Bureau bills provided legislative authorization for the Freedmen's Bureau (formally known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands), which was set up by President Abraham Lincoln
in 1865 as part of the United States Army
. Following the original bill in 1865, subsequent bills sought to extend its authority and lifespan, until the Bureau was disbanded during the first term of President Ulysses S. Grant
.
A followup Freedmen’s Bureau Bill was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson
on February 19, 1866, and Congress failed to override that veto on the following day.
That failed 1866 Freedmen's Bureau bill was closely related to the Civil Rights Act of 1866
. On March 9, 1866, Congressman John Bingham
explained that, "the seventh and eighth sections of the Freedmen's Bureau bill enumerate the same rights and all the rights and privileges that are enumerated in the first section of this [the Civil Rights] bill."
On May 29, 1866 the House passed a further Freedmen’s Bureau Bill, and on June 26, 1866 the Senate passed an amended version. On July 3, 1866 both chambers passed a conference committee’s compromise version.
On July 16, 1866 Congress received another presidential veto message, which Congress overrode later that day. This congressional action extended the Freedmen’s Bureau, increased antipathy between President Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress, and was a major factor during Reconstruction. The Freedmen's Bureau bill that passed in 1866 provided many additional rights to ex-slaves, including the distribution of land, schools for their children, and military courts to ensure these rights.
In July of 1868, Congress voted to again extend the Freedmen's Bureau, but a couple weeks later decided to limit its functions to processing claims and supporting education. Four years later, in June of 1872, Congress voted to completely shut down the Freedmen's Bureau by the end of that month.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in 1865 as part of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Following the original bill in 1865, subsequent bills sought to extend its authority and lifespan, until the Bureau was disbanded during the first term of President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
The various bills
The Freedmen's Bureau was created in 1865 during the Lincoln administration, by an act of Congress called the Freedman's Bureau Bill. It was passed on March 3, 1865, in order to aid former slaves through food and housing, oversight, education, health care, and employment contracts with private landowners.A followup Freedmen’s Bureau Bill was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
on February 19, 1866, and Congress failed to override that veto on the following day.
That failed 1866 Freedmen's Bureau bill was closely related to the Civil Rights Act of 1866
Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866, , enacted April 9, 1866, is a federal law in the United States that was mainly intended to protect the civil rights of African-Americans, in the wake of the American Civil War...
. On March 9, 1866, Congressman John Bingham
John Bingham
John Armor Bingham was a Republican congressman from Ohio, America, judge advocate in the trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassination and a prosecutor in the impeachment trials of Andrew Johnson...
explained that, "the seventh and eighth sections of the Freedmen's Bureau bill enumerate the same rights and all the rights and privileges that are enumerated in the first section of this [the Civil Rights] bill."
On May 29, 1866 the House passed a further Freedmen’s Bureau Bill, and on June 26, 1866 the Senate passed an amended version. On July 3, 1866 both chambers passed a conference committee’s compromise version.
On July 16, 1866 Congress received another presidential veto message, which Congress overrode later that day. This congressional action extended the Freedmen’s Bureau, increased antipathy between President Johnson and Radical Republicans in Congress, and was a major factor during Reconstruction. The Freedmen's Bureau bill that passed in 1866 provided many additional rights to ex-slaves, including the distribution of land, schools for their children, and military courts to ensure these rights.
In July of 1868, Congress voted to again extend the Freedmen's Bureau, but a couple weeks later decided to limit its functions to processing claims and supporting education. Four years later, in June of 1872, Congress voted to completely shut down the Freedmen's Bureau by the end of that month.