Agreement of Labor for a Mr. Montgomery and Others
12/24/1866
Add to Favorites:
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
Abner E. Lipscomb of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, entered into this labor agreement with many people including two families that had seven children under the age of 12 on December 24, 1866. Many formerly enslaved people could not read or write. They indicated their consent to a contract by placing an “X” by their name on this document, look for the "X" with Jack Montgomery's name.
Following the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment, formerly enslaved persons faced many challenges. Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands — better known as the Freedmen’s Bureau —within the War Department on March 3, 1865. The Freedmen’s Bureau assisted formerly enslaved persons by legalizing marriages, supplying necessities such as food and clothing, promoting education, witnessing labor contracts between the freedmen and plantation owners or other employers, and settling freedmen on abandoned or confiscated land.
Following the Civil War and the ratification of the 13th Amendment, formerly enslaved persons faced many challenges. Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands — better known as the Freedmen’s Bureau —within the War Department on March 3, 1865. The Freedmen’s Bureau assisted formerly enslaved persons by legalizing marriages, supplying necessities such as food and clothing, promoting education, witnessing labor contracts between the freedmen and plantation owners or other employers, and settling freedmen on abandoned or confiscated land.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.
National Archives Identifier: 595058
Full Citation: Agreement of Labor for a Mr. Montgomery and Others; 12/24/1866; Freedmen's Labor Contracts, 5/1865 - 12/1867; Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, Record Group 105; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/agreement-labor-montgomery, March 27, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.