History of Freed Slaves

“The Bureau of Refugees, Freemen, and Abandoned Lands, often referred to as the Freedmen’s Bureau, was established on March 3, 1865. The duties of the Freedmen’s Bureau included supervision of all affairs relating to refugees, freedmen, and the custody of abandoned lands and property. Please help us transcribe these records to learn more about the experiences of formerly enslaved men and women in North America during the Reconstruction Era.

How do I get started? Just go to the Smithsonian website and start transcribing right now.  

How much time will this take? This is a low time commitment. Spend as much time as you want, one hour or many. You will be helping these national treasures to be searchable and discoverable by all!

How do I expand this narrative arc? If historical research or civil rights are n your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:

• See our post on getting any historical research you may have done published in The Concord Review.

• See our post about the National World War II Museum History Contest.

• If your school offers the ability to do an independent study or writing projects, consider doing a research project on the lives of formerly enslaved people. Note: these papers are Primary Sources for historical research purposes which makes any such research project even more impressive!

HOT TIP: This is a great little project to kick off or complement a general interest in history or civil rights. Make sure to build on this project with some larger and more time-intensive commitments in these interest areas.