During the Reconstruction period slaves became freedman, so they gained educational opportunities. About 200,000 of the newly freed learned read with the Feeedmen's Bureau (newly created Bureau that protected freed African-American) , and many African Americans set up their own schools, church's, etc. An example of bettering education would be in Louisiana, in their state constitution of 1868 they required a school for each Parish (of a church) to offer free education to the whites and children of colour between 6-18 years of age.