A freedman was a person who had been enslaved but gained their freedom. Throughout history, enslaved people became freedmen in different ways: some were freed by their owners (often in a will), some purchased their own freedom by saving money earned from extra work, and some gained freedom when slavery was abolished by law.

In American history, the term specifically refers to the nearly four million formerly enslaved people who gained their freedom after the Civil War ended in 1865. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution made slavery illegal throughout the United States. These freedmen faced enormous challenges: most had no money, no land, and no formal education because teaching enslaved people to read had been illegal in many states. Many continued working on the same farms where they had been enslaved, now as paid laborers, though the pay was often unfair.

During the period called Reconstruction (1865-1877), freedmen built schools, churches, and communities. They started businesses, bought land when they could, and voted in elections. Some were elected to government positions. The Freedmen's Bureau, a government agency, helped provide food, education, and legal assistance during this difficult transition.

The feminine form freedwoman was also used, though freedman was often used to refer to all formerly enslaved people regardless of gender.