On February 5, 1866, Congressman Thaddeus Stevens introduced an amendment to the Freedmen’s Bureau bill that would have authorized the distribution of public and confiscated lands in 40-acre plots to freedmen and loyal refugees. The proposal aimed to provide formerly enslaved people with a means to economic independence. However, the amendment was defeated in the House by a vote of 126 to 37. In response, a Black delegation led by Frederick Douglass called on President Andrew Johnson to advocate for land redistribution and civil rights.
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