After the Civil War, "40 acres and a mule" referred to the promise made by Union General William T. Sherman to give formerly enslaved African Americans land (40 acres) and a means of transportation (a mule) as a form of reparation for their years of enslavement.
Related terms
Reconstruction: The period after the Civil War when efforts were made to rebuild and reunite the United States while addressing issues related to slavery, civil rights, and social integration.
Freedmen's Bureau: A federal agency established during Reconstruction that provided assistance such as education, healthcare, and employment opportunities to newly freed African Americans.
Sharecropping: An agricultural system that emerged after the Civil War where former slaves or poor white farmers would rent land from wealthy landowners in exchange for a portion of their crops.