Freedmen's Bureau Bill,
3 March 1865
An Act to establish a Bureau for the
Relief of Freedmen and Refugees
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That there is hereby established in the War Department, to continue during the
present war of rebellion, and for one year thereafter, a bureau of refugees,
freedmen, and abandoned lands, to which shall be committed, as hereinafter
provided, the supervision and management of all abandoned lands, and the control
of all subjects relating to freedmen from rebel states, or from any district of
country within the territory embraced in the operations of the army, under such
rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the head of the bureau and approved
by the President. The said bureau shall be under the management and
control of a commissioner to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, whose compensation shall be three thousand dollars per
annum, and such number of clerks as may be assigned to him by the Secretary of
War, not exceeding one chief clerk, two of the fourth class, two of the third
class, and five of the first class. And the commissioner and all
persons appointed under this act, shall, before entering upon their duties, take
the oath of office prescribed in an act entitled "An act to prescribe an oath of
office, and for other purposes," approved July second, eighteen hundred and
sixty-two, and the commissioner and the chief clerk shall, before entering upon
their duties, give bonds to the treasurer of the United States, the former in the
sum of fifty thousand dollars, and the latter in the sum of ten thousand dollars,
conditioned for the faithful discharge of their duties respectively, with
securities to be approved as sufficient by the Attorney-General, which bonds
shall be filed in the office of the first comptroller of the treasury, to be by
him put in suit for the benefit of any injured party upon any breach of the
conditions thereof.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted,
That the Secretary of War may direct such issues of provisions, clothing, and
fuel, as he may deem needful for the immediate and temporary shelter and supply of
destitute and suffering refugees and freedmen and their wives and children, under
such rules and regulations as he may direct.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted,
That the President may, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint
an assistant commissioner for each of the states declared to be in insurrection,
not exceeding ten in number, who shall, under the direction of the commissioner,
aid in the execution of the provisions of this act; and he shall give a bond
to the Treasurer of the United States, in the sum of twenty thousand dollars, in
the form and manner prescribed in the first section of this act. Each
of said commissioners shall receive an annual salary of two thousand five hundred
dollars in full compensation for all his services. And any military
officer may be detailed and assigned to duty under this act without increase of
pay or allowances. The commissioner shall, before the commencement
of each regular session of congress, make full report of his proceedings with
exhibits of the state of his accounts to the President, who shall communicate the
same to congress, and shall also make special reports whenever required to do so
by the President or either house of congress; and the assistant commissioners
shall make quarterly reports of their proceedings to the commissioner, and also
such other special reports as from time to time may be required.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted,
That the commissioner, under the direction of the President, shall have authority
to set apart, for the use of loyal refugees and freedmen, such tracts of land
within the insurrectionary states as shall have been abandoned, or to which the
United States shall have acquired title by confiscation or sale, or otherwise,
and to every male citizen, whether refugee or freedman, as aforesaid, there shall
be assigned not more than forty acres of such land, and the person to whom it was
so assigned shall be protected in the use and enjoyment of the land for the term
of three years at an annual rent not exceeding six per centum upon the value of
such land, as it was appraised by the state authorities in the year eighteen
hundred and sixty, for the purpose of taxation, and in case no such appraisal can
be found, then the rental shall be based upon the estimated value of the land in
said year, to be ascertained in such manner as the commissioner may by regulation
prescribe. At the end of said term, or at any time during said term,
the occupants of any parcels so assigned may purchase the land and receive such
title thereto as the United States can convey, upon paying therefor the value of
the land, as ascertained and fixed for the purpose of determining the annual rent
aforesaid.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted,
That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act, are
hereby repealed.
SOURCE: United States Statues At Large,
vol. 13 (Washington, D. C.), pages 507-509.
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