Forty acres and a mule: Difference between revisions

'''40 acres and a mule''' was a practice in 1865 of providing arable land to [[BlacksBlack]] former slaves who became free as [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] armies occupied areas of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], especially in [[Sherman's March to the Sea|Sherman's March]]. Maj. Gen. [[William Tecumseh Sherman|William T. Sherman]]'s January 16, 1865 [[Sherman's Special Field Orders, No. 15|Special Field Orders, No. 15]]<ref>[http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/sfo15.htm Order by the Commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi]</ref> provided for the land, and some of the recipients received from the Army [[mule]]s for use in plowing as well;<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/40acres/ps_so15.html "Reconstruction ... Forty Acres and a Mule"] at ''American Experience'' website</ref> the combination was widely recognized as providing a sound start for a family farm.