Actions Taken by Freed Blacks

After the war ended, freed blacks who had faced injustices from white soldiers decided to take various actions so that they could better their lives. Some had to join the federal army later, after 1963, and others accompanied it because they had no idea on what to do. In addition, through the Freedmen's Bureau established in March 1865, the freed blacks enrolled in schools so as to access education and this led to the establishment of many learning institutions, some of which were private. This was later on followed by the establishment of colleges for the blacks where students were trained by black teachers. However, some decided to leave and seek opportunities elsewhere through ownership of land. Nevertheless, this did not go well with them as there were many restrictions and laws that were placed upon them such as curfews and the carrying of identity cards everywhere they went. In addition, freed blacks, through the bureau, had the opportunity to introduce themselves to a free labor economic system. This was to enable them find their way out of the labor category by being granted ownership of land that was abandoned during the war (Dickson, 1996).

As the freed blacks tried to better their lives after the war, land was a very essential item to them. Land could enable them erect homes where they would stay comfortably. With this in place, they could stay in peace and at their own will and delight. In addition to this, having their own land could liberate them from white domination and farm labor which reminded them of the slavery period. Since planters wanted cheap labor, they ensured that freed blacks remained in the plantations, but the freed blacks wanted to own land that could have enabled them to work independently. The land that they were to acquire was also to enable them plant crops and get harvests that could sustain them. With that in place, they could have done away with the small wages which they were being paid and had to share with the whole work force. Moreover, freed blacks disliked the introduction of a wage system where planters competed for labor. They termed some of them as inefficient and lazy which made land owners to lack labor and the freed blacks to lack land (Dickson, 1996).

In conclusion, freed blacks took various actions so that they could improve their living standards. This was due to the fact that slavery was still fresh in their minds. Therefore, they needed to establish themselves through opportunities and resources that were available. One way for them to do this was to get land where they could plant crops and work for themselves. This could have eliminated the need for them to work for white planters who paid low wages compared to the returns which they got from their farms. Lastly, through various bureaus, freed blacks managed to get lands and were also able to get an education through various schools and colleges that were established.