Question

Which statement BEST describes the impact of the Freedmen's Bureau?

A) It failed to attract former slaves to northern states.
B) It was not successful in sparking trade between the North and the South.
C) It failed because it did not offer education opportunities to former southern slaves.
D) It was unsuccessful in bringing about unity and understanding of the races after the Civil War.

Answer 1

Answer: D) It was unsuccessful in bringing about unity and understanding of the races after the Civil War.

The Freedmen's Bureau (or Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands) was a government agency established after the Civil War. Its mission was to help former black slaves and poor whites in the South.

The bureau was chronically underfunded and understaffed. Moreover, its employees were subject to the politics of the time, ridicule and harassment from whites. However, it did help alleviate problems such as lack of food, housing and medical aid. It also helped establish hospitals and schools, and tried to promote land redistribution. Regardless of its accomplishments, it eventually failed to bring long-lasting unity and understanding between the races.

Answer 2

The Freedmen's Bureau was established in order to support and helped those former slaves as they change from being slaves to freed men. Based on the statements above, the one that best gives the description of the Freedmen's Bureau is option D. It was not successful in bringing understanding and unity of the races after the Civil War.