Full Citation

Title: The aftermath of policy failures: The Southern Homestead Act and the Freedmen’s Saving Bank in Florida

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2019

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Abstract: Inequality in the United States has increased dramatically during the past several decades. Multiple policies aimed at reducing racial inequality have been enacted many times since the emancipation of slavery in the United States. While some have had limited success, many failed to achieve their desired outcomes. When policy fails, the consequences for affected recipients may not be the same as if no policy at all had been enacted. Unsuccessful or inadequately considered policy interventions may have small positive effects. However, they also may serve to harm the very group they were designed to help. Reconstruction provides fertile ground for examining the impact of failed policies on their intended recipients. The Southern Homestead Act (SHA) of 1866 provided a route to land ownership for former slaves and is largely regarded as a failure. The Freedmen’s Bank provided banking services to former slaves before its collapse in 1874.

Url: http://eh.net/eha/conference-program-and-papers-2/

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Authors: Miller, Melinda

Conference Name: The Economic History Society

Publisher Location: Queen's University Belfast

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Housing and Segregation, Other, Race and Ethnicity

Countries: United Kingdom