The purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau, officially known as the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, was to help formerly enslaved African Americans and impoverished whites in the South in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The Bureau provided assistance in various forms, including food, clothing, medical care, education, and help with finding employment and housing. It aimed to ensure the basic rights and protections of freedmen, establish schools, negotiate labor contracts, distribute land, and assist in the transition from slavery to freedom.
