President Abraham Lincoln established the Freedman’s Bank in 1865 as part of the Freedman’s Bureau, designed to aid newly freed black men and women in their transition to freedom. To support the land grants and other elements of the Freedman’s Bureau Act, a Freedman’s Bank was established to help newly freed Americans navigate their financial lives. The Freedman’s Bank maintained some 37 offices in 17 states, including Charleston, South Carolina.