Quelling the Mob Violence - stock illustration

Image depicts a US Army officer, representing the Freedmen's Bureau, standing between a group of whites and a group of freedmen. The Freedmen's Bureau was created by Congress in 1865 to assist former Black slaves and poor whites in the South after the Civil War. It provided aid such as food, housing, medical care, and education, as well as legal help and land settlement. The bureau essentially became one of America's first social welfare programs. However, due to limited resources and political obstacles related to race and Reconstruction, the bureau was not able to fully carry out its programs.