Under the Guardianship of the Nation: The Freedmen's Bureau and the Reconstruction of Georgia, 1865-1870
Paul A. Cimbala
Under the Guardianship of the Nation: The Freedmen’s Bureau and the Reconstruction of Georgia, 1865-1870
Paul A. Cimbala
The Freedmen’s Bureau was an extraordinary agency established by Congress in 1865, born of the expansion of federal power during the Civil War and the Union’s desire to protect and provide for the South’s emancipated slaves. Charged with the mandate to change the southern racial status quo in education, civil rights, and labor, the Bureau was in a position to play a crucial role in the implementation of Reconstruction policy.
The ineffectiveness of the Bureau in Georgia and other southern states has often been blamed on the racism of its northern administrators, but Paul A. Cimbala finds the explanation to be much more complex. In this remarkably balanced account, he blames the failure on a combination of the Bureau’s northern free-labor ideology, limited resources, and temporary nature–as well as deeply rooted white southern hostility toward change. Because of these factors, the Bureau in practice left freedpeople and ex-masters to create their own new social, political, and economic arrangements.
This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks
Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.
Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.