What was the primary aim of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction?

The primary aim of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction was to provide education and aid to freed slaves. Established in 1865 after the Civil War, the Bureau was intended to assist former slaves in transitioning to freedom and integrating into society. This involved a range of services, including providing food, housing, medical care, and, importantly, education. The Bureau established schools and educational programs in an effort to empower African Americans and enable them to gain skills necessary for economic independence and civic participation.

While other options touch on aspects of the broader Reconstruction efforts, they do not directly encapsulate the main purpose of the Freedmen's Bureau. For example, establishing military rule was part of the larger government strategy for controlling the South during Reconstruction but was not a specific goal of the Bureau itself. Similarly, controlling voting rights was a significant concern during Reconstruction but was not the Bureau's central focus. The sharecropping system, which emerged out of the post-war economy, was also not an objective of the Bureau, as it primarily aimed to support the immediate needs and opportunities for freedmen rather than address the economic systems that developed in rural Southern agriculture.