The Freedmen’s Bureau had responsibility for every aspect of the lives of formerly enslaved people, and was in charge of land that came under federal control during and after the Civil War. In 1872, Congress shut the Freedmen’s Bureau down, but today Freedmen's Bureau records are a vital resource for anyone seeking information about African-American history in the post-Civil War and Reconstruction eras.
Reconstruction 360 is a digital educational program that explores Reconstruction history through humanities themes. This module, 40 Acres and a Mule, focuses on the theme of land and labor as experienced by freedpeople at the close of the Civil War. Set in South Carolina, it features 360-degree interactive video and short documentaries, and includes lesson plans, primary documents, curriculum standards and a geolocative walking tour of Reconstruction sites in downtown Columbia, S.C.