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Freedman's Thank You Letter

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Freedman's Thank You Letter

Read the historical-fiction letter and background. Then use evidence from the text to answer the questions. The letter is invented for this worksheet; it is not a document written by a real person.

Background: The Freedmen’s Bureau

After the Civil War ended in 1865, the U.S. government created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, often called the Freedmen’s Bureau. It assisted formerly enslaved people and others affected by the war. Depending on the place and available resources, Bureau workers helped people find food or shelter, set up schools, and settle labor or legal disputes. The Bureau operated for only a few years, faced strong opposition, and could not meet every need. Its work and results differed from one community to another.

A fictional letter, 1867

Savannah, Georgia October 3, 1867 Dear Bureau Agent, I am writing to thank you for helping my family after we arrived in Savannah. We had left the plantation where we had been enslaved and needed a safe place to stay. Your office helped us find temporary shelter and directed us to a school nearby. My daughter, Ruth, is learning to read, and I have begun learning to write my name. You also helped me understand the labor agreement I signed to work on a farm. When the farmer did not pay the amount written in the agreement, a Bureau agent listened to both sides and helped us discuss the dispute. I received some of the pay I was owed. I know many families still need help, and not every problem can be solved. I hope the school can stay open and that workers will be treated fairly. With respect, A grateful parent

Read like a historian

Use details from the letter and background. Remember: the writer and events in the letter are fictional, but the kinds of challenges and assistance described are based on the Bureau’s historical work.

1.What is the Freedmen’s Bureau, and when was it created?

2.Which two kinds of assistance does the letter say the family received? Choose the best answer.

Temporary shelter and help with a labor-pay dispute
A farm and a free train ticket
A house and a government job
Medical care and help finding a relative

3.Find one detail showing that education mattered to the writer’s family. Explain what the detail tells you.

4.True or false: The letter says that the Bureau solved every problem faced by formerly enslaved families.

TrueFalse

5.What problem arose over the writer’s labor agreement, and how did the Bureau agent respond?

6.In the letter, what does “labor agreement” mean? Use the context to explain.

7.Which statement is best supported by the background?

The Bureau had unlimited resources and could assist everyone.
The Bureau offered some kinds of assistance, but its reach was limited and its results varied.
The Bureau worked only in Savannah.
The Bureau was created before the Civil War.

8.The letter is fictional. Give one reason historians should not treat it as a real firsthand source, and one way it can still help readers learn about history.

9.Write a respectful two-sentence reply from the Bureau agent. Refer to one detail in the letter and acknowledge one ongoing need.