How Free Were Freedmen in the Early

Years After the Civil War?

Suggested Instructional Activity:

Bow Tie Strategy

Questions/prompts for students to consider as

they read each document (outer sections of
the bow tie):
Summarize the primary sources for your assigned section.
Answer the accompanying questions for each primary source.

Possible statements for groups to respond to

as they put it all together (center section):
Answer this question: How Free Were Freedmen in the Early Years After the Civil
War? Use the sentence stems below:
o The freedom that freedmen experienced in the early years after the Civil War
was limited by ___.
o Actions taken by ____ included ___ and had an impact on ___ by ___.
o Overall, we can generally say that ___ led to ___ because ___.
o After the Civil War, __ changed for African Americans because __.
o After the Civil War, __ stayed the same for African Americans because __.
o An important connection between ___ and ___ is ___.
o Based on ___, we can infer that ___.

TEACHER NOTE: There are eight primary sources for this activity. Some options to
consider for distributing these are:
Assign two primary sources to every student (one excerpt and one image) and
have each quad complete one single bow tie that summarizes an excerpt and
image in each outer section.

Assign each student one excerpt and have each quad complete a bow tie that
summarizes an excerpt in each outer section. Then, repeat the process with a
second bow tie for the images.
 Assign excerpts to half of the groups and assign images to the other half.
# Primary Source Questions to Consider
Reports of Murders, Outrages to the These reports list crimes against
Freedmens Bureau Freedmen in Texas in 1866.
In the month of August or Sept. 1865 a colored boy What do you think is the
16 or 17 years of age was shot in the arm making motivation of those attacking
amputation necessary above the elbow It is alleged and/or killing Freedmen?
that this boy was shot for asking his master if he was
not free and on being told by him that he was not
replied that he could not believe it as all the other
[blacks] were free. How do you think other African
Americans living in Texas were
Reports of Murders, Outrages to the affected by the news of these
1 Freedmens Bureau events?
On April 28th, 1866 near Union Hill in Washington
County were murdered two freedmen and one
freedwoman Their murders were committed after
night by a party of white men eight or ten in number.
The freedmen, five in number, lived alone in a house
upon a farm. The two persons who were spared could
not swear positively to the names of the murderers
but thought they were young men of the
neighborhood. Four arrests were made and found
not guilty for lack of positive evidence.
Mississippis Black Codes Vagrancy Based on this, what do you think
Section 1. All rogues and vagabonds, idle and vagrancy means?
dissipated persons, beggars, persons who neglect
their employment, misspend what they earn, or do
not provide for the support of themselves or What actions are prohibited by this
their families, and all other idle and disorderly law? Who does it affect?
persons shall be considered vagrants and
shall be fined up to $100 and may be
imprisoned up to 10 days. Why do you think the state created
this law?
2 Section 2. All freedmen, free Negroes, and
mulattoes in this state over the age of 18 years
found with no lawful employment or business, or
found unlawfully assembling themselves
together, and all white persons so assembling
with them on terms of equality, or living in adultery
or fornication with a freedwoman, free Negro, or
mulatto, shall be considered vagrants; and, on
conviction thereof, shall be fined and may be
imprisoned.
Mississippis Black Codes Civil Rights What restrictions does the law
Section 3. it shall not be lawful for any freedman, place on marriage in Section 3?
free Negro, or mulatto to intermarry with any
white person; nor for any white person to
3 intermarry with any freedman, free Negro, or mulatto; Why do you think Mississippi, as
and any person who shall so intermarry shall be well as other states, placed such a
deemed guilty of felony and, on conviction thereof, restriction on interracial marriage?
shall be confined in the state penitentiary for
life
Mississippis Black Codes Penal Code What right is denied to Freedmen?
Be it enacted by the legislature of the state of