The policy of giving 40 acres and a mule is associated with which general?

The policy of giving 40 acres and a mule is associated with which general?

• A. William Tecumseh Sherman
• B. Ulysses S. Grant
• C. Robert E. Lee
• D. George McClellan

Answer: (A)

Land redistribution for newly freed people during Reconstruction is being tested here. General William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Orders No. 15 in 1865, which set aside about 40 acres of confiscated or abandoned coastal land for Black families in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, with a mule to help work it. This policy gave rise to the slogan “40 acres and a mule” and shows an early, limited effort to provide Black families with land ownership in the war’s aftermath. The policy was not enacted nationwide and was later reversed by President Andrew Johnson, who returned the land to previous owners. The other generals listed did not implement this land-redistribution policy.

Land redistribution for newly freed people during Reconstruction is being tested here. General William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Orders No. 15 in 1865, which set aside about 40 acres of confiscated or abandoned coastal land for Black families in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, with a mule to help work it. This policy gave rise to the slogan “40 acres and a mule” and shows an early, limited effort to provide Black families with land ownership in the war’s aftermath. The policy was not enacted nationwide and was later reversed by President Andrew Johnson, who returned the land to previous owners. The other generals listed did not implement this land-redistribution policy.