The Freedman's Bureau was officially called the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. It was created in 1865 by Congress when Abraham Lincoln was still president and actually it was created before the end of the civil war. The intention of the bureau was to help former black slaves and poor whites in the South adjust to life once the war was over. It provided housing and medical assistance and assured there was food for former slaves and poor whites. They also established schools, including Howard University that has its legacy in this bureau. Unfortunately, it was President Andrew Johnson who tried to veto it and it was eventually ended in 1872 because of a lack of resources and pressure from powerful interests in the South.
