Memphis Freedman's Bureau Illustration
This collection consists of a color newspaper illustration depicting the Office the Freedmen's Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee, circa 1866-1868. It shows three seated white men, one of whom is T. A. Walker (the Superintendent of the District of Western Tennessee's Freedmen's Bureau), and a group of African-American men, who seem to be asking for their assistance.
Dates
- circa 1866-1868
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
This collection consists of a color newspaper illustration depicting the Office the Freedmen's Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee, circa 1866-1868. It shows three seated white men, one of whom is T. A. Walker (the Superintendent of the District of Western Tennessee's Freedmen's Bureau), and a group of African-American men, who seem to be asking for their assistance.
Biographical/Historical Note
The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, commonly known as the Freedmen's Bureau, offered assistance to newly emancipated slaves after the Civil War. Congress passed a bill authorizing the creation of the Freedmen's Bureau on March 3, 1865, and President Lincoln signed the bill into law the same day. Initially, the bill specified that the bureau would expire after a year; however, it was renewed until 1872.
Tennessee's Freedmen's Bureau was organized into three districts in 1865 by Brigadier General Clinton B. Fisk. Under Fisk, the Bureau established and managed a number of freedmen's schools. It also negotiated labor contracts between ex-slaves and white employers, provided legal counsel, and organized hospitals, orphanages, and elderly homes. After the end of Fisk's tenure in September 1866, the bureau's primary responsibility lay in managing schools. The state assumed management of the schools in February, 1867; the bureau was phased out by 1869.
Thomas A. Walker, pictured in the illustration, was the Captain of the 63rd U. S. Colored Infantry and Superintendent of the District of Western Tennessee's Freedmen's Bureau.
Arrangement
This collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
This collection was purchased by the University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections on February 20, 2007.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository