Freedmen’s Village Quiz

1. Freedmen’s Village Quiz Click the arrow below to begin the quiz!

2. 1. The word “contraband” refers to which of the following? • Former slaves who had bought their own freedom • Former slaves who had escaped or been abandoned • Slave masters who refused to free their slaves

3. Good Job! The term originated after Union general Benjamin F. Butler's declared fugitive slaves to be “contraband of war.”

4. 2. Army commanders originally placed who in charge of the affairs of “contrabands”? • First lieutenants • Local sheriffs • Quartermaster officers

5. Right-o! As the number of “contrabands” increased, quartermaster officers were assigned to provide them food and shelter.

6. 3. The number of “contrabands” in the District of Columbia increased after April 1862, because of which of the following? • Congress freed slaves in the District • Good weather led to a bumper crop • P.T. Barnum’s circus was in town

7. Correctamundo! Slaves from Maryland and Virginia flocked to the District after Congress abolished slavery there.

8. 4. Which location was the center of the “contraband” relief effort inside the District? • Fort Meade • Camp Barker • The Capitol

9. Nice going! Around 600 contrabands were housed in Camp Barker by the fall of 1862, and numbers increased throughout the war.

10. 5. “Contrabands” who could left camps such as Camp Barker primarily for what reason? • They were given plots of land to farm • They had better job opportunities elsewhere • They wanted to escape overcrowding

11. Cha-ching! In the summer of 1863, an average of 25 inhabitants per week died at Camp Barker, mostly due to diseases spread by overcrowding.

12. 6. How were “contrabands” working as laborers in military camps paid, compared to their white counterparts? • Half as much as whites • The same as whites • More than whites

13. Right on! The pay for laborers was as much as $30 per month, plus a daily ration of food.

14. 7. What was the “Contraband Fund”? • A fundraiser to help pay for camps • A tax to offset the cost of camps • An investment opportunity

15. Sharp shooting! All working blacks had $5 deducted from their monthly wages from September 1862 until the end of the war to finance the fund.

16. 8. Freemen’s Village was created at which location? • Near the Capitol building • On a former plantation in Southern Maryland • On the Custis-Lee family estate

17. Bada bing! Freedmen’s Village was created on a site which is currently part of Arlington National Cemetery.

18. 9. Danforth B. Nichols and Elias M. Greene picked the site for Freedmen’s Village for what purpose? • To allow laborers to work in the open air • To move laborers closer to the military regiments • To hide laborers from invading Southern armies

19. Bulls-eye! Nichols and Greene hoped to improve the health of the laborers by letting them work in the open air.

20. 10. Which is one reason why Freedmen’s Village stands out among the “contraband” camps? • It was the first camp to be established • It was the last camp to be closed • It had the most inhabitants of any camp

21. Hot dog! While most camps were closed soon after the war ended, Freedmen’s Village was not closed until 1900.

22. Thanks for playing! Hope you enjoyed the quiz! Click on the image below to exit.

23. Close, but not quite…. Click below to try again!

24. That’s not right. Click below to try again!