The key aspect discussed here is the difference and similarities between African American soldiers and white soldiers, in the Civil War. In the past African Americans were slaves in the south part of the United States. However, when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans were freed in the Confederate states. According to the American Nation book, when the war began, thousands of free African Americans volunteered to fight for the Union. In addition, the army assigned African Americans to all-black units commanded by white officers. At first the African Americans only served as laborers. They built things like roads and defensive supplies. As a result, they had protested about their duties in the military. By
II. Even after African Americans had assisted in many wars, the United States still did not give them the same rights as the whites. A. African Americans had been allowed to help the United States military in multiple wars when they needed more fighters. B. African Americans fought alongside
America two years into the Civil War, battles going back and forth and many causalities to go along with it. In the beginning of the Civil War northerners refused black volunteers soldiers in battle. As the causalities rose it pressured to allow the black men to partake in the war. Once Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 black men started to get recruited to join the Union army. Frederick Douglass called out in harsh detail why black Americans should enlist in the army.
In the early 19th century, slavery had been the main issue in America. The issue of slavery got critical that it separated America. The north (Union) prohibited slavery in America, while the south (Confederate) allowed slavery. However, majority of African-Americans were treated poorly in America. In the Union Army, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw was given “to raise and command one of the first regiments of African American troops in the Union army, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, by Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew.”
Some black Southerners aided the Confederacy. Most of these were forced to accompany their masters or were forced to toil behind the lines. Black men were not legally allowed to serve as combat soldiers in the Confederate Army--they were cooks, teamsters, and manual laborers. There were no black Confederate combat units in service during the war and no documentation whatsoever exists for any black man being paid or pensioned as a Confederate soldier This is not to say that no black man ever fired a gun for the Confederacy.
when the war began, African Americans were not a part of the fighting troops but worked behind the fighting lines maintain war vehicles, driving supply trucks and in other support roles but at the end of the war, African American soldiers were incorporated in fighting roles. They served as fighter pilots, ground troops, tank operators and officers. One of the famous groups of African Americans were the Tuskegee Airmen. This was the first group to be African American pilots in the US military. The Teskegee flew 1000s of bombing and fighting missions over Italy during the war and 66 of them gave their lives in
Women, Soldiers, African Americans and many other people had big parts in the Civil War. The tensions of the 1860’s show the “human” side of the War in many harsh ways. Without these struggles we wouldn 't be where we are today. Many soldiers were young, they had fears that included false identity when dead and never seeing family again.
However, most blacks never got to serve in combat units and most were limited to the labor battalions. The Marines wouldn 't let African Americans serve at all. The Navy and Coast Guard did but they gave them the lowest jobs they could. The 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry were the first all-black regiments but they were only used in the US and were not used in combat roles overseas. They were so frustrated because they were good fighters and they felt like they may never get a chance to prove themselves.
African Americans have served proudly in every great American war. Over two hundred thousand African American servicemen fought during the Civil War. In 1866 through an act of congress, legislation was adopted to create six all African American army units. The African Americans can only serve west of the Mississippi River because the attitude of the civil war. They were given the name because their fierce, was nature like the way buffalos fought.
By the year 1783, thousands of them had served! The support the African Americans bestowed in this duration is one way they gained their freedoms in the future of the United States and, somewhat, trust. They gained a sense of hope in the social interaction between blacks and whites. Also, it is extremely important to be cognizant of just how many of these people died during this period.
During the war, blacks were used as motivation to fight, they were willing to help fight, and they even worked their way into the politics of the post war
Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..
During the Civil War, it is said that almost 180,000 Black Soldiers served in the Union Army. The families of these soldiers would camp in nearby makeshift villages to be near their husbands, sons and fathers. The soldiers assisted them the best they could by share food and clothing from their military rations. Nearly 40,000 Black Soldiers died during the course of the war with 30,000 due to infections and diseases. Although Blacks were giving the chance to fight for their freedom, they were still not looked as equals.
The African Americans had a big impact on the Civil War. They had to have all of these laws and papers wrote because of the slavery deal. They had the role of the debate for slavery. They were the slaves and they wanted to have their freedom. The Declaration of Independence said that, “All men are created equal”, but the slaves were not free.
In order for African Americans to earn money, they worked as sanitation workers better known as slaves. As time went on two men that were workers were ran over by a garbage truck and died. Being though they died, 1300 African Americans walked off the job and went on strike. They went on strike because they had enough and they refused to put up with it anymore.
In the years of the Civil War, African Americans played an important role in contributing to the Union Army and the confederate army. A great deal of African American men volunteered to join the Union Army but only after they gained freedom did they participate in fighting the war. Besides the Union Army, there was the confederate army which consisted of slave labor whom were forced to aid the confederacy following their masters. Later in the war, the Confederacy ran short on men and were in need to supply soldiers, leaving no choice but to enlist the colored men. Not only were African American men impacted from the war, but African American women also served to supply and aid in the war.