What were the responsibilities of the Freedmen's Bureau?

The Freedmen’s Bureau was established in 1865, during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, with the primary focus on aiding former enslaved individuals as they transitioned to freedom. Its responsibilities included providing food, housing, education, and medical care to newly freed African Americans and impoverished whites in the South. The Bureau aimed to help these individuals integrate into society, secure legal rights, and find employment.

This was a significant and necessary effort, as many freedmen faced formidable challenges in navigating their new lives after emancipation. The work of the Freedmen’s Bureau was critical in addressing immediate needs and laying the foundation for civil rights, although the agency itself was often limited by funding and political opposition.

In contrast, the other options do not align with the Bureau's mandate. Promoting trade agreements or organizing military units were not core responsibilities of the Bureau. Enforcing Jim Crow laws is particularly incongruent, as the Bureau was created to combat the systemic injustices and hardships that African Americans faced, not to uphold discriminatory laws that emerged later in the Reconstruction era.