African-Americans

toc by Leon T.
 * __African-American Roles in the Civil War__ **

=The Emancipation Proclamation= The Emancipation Proclamation was an important document written by President Abraham Lincoln in January of 1863. This document declared that all slaves in rebellious states were free. This only pertained to the states that had succeeded from the Union, not to already acquired Southern territory nor to the border states. Every advance by the Union troops would extend the realm of black freedom in the United States. The Emancipation Proclamation also stated that black men could be accepted into the Union Army and Navy. This act could have prompted the border states to succeed as well, but they decided to stay loyal to the Union. The soldiers were now not only fighting to save the Union, they were fighting for the freedom of all blacks in the South as well. Similar to the Emancipation Proclamation, the Second Confiscation and Militia Act of 1862 freed all slaves owned by men in the Confederate Army.

=Men in War=

//Union Soldiers//
The black men were finally allowed to enlist after the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Over 180,000 African American men enlisted in the Union Army, and over 19,000 in the Navy. Some were free and others had run away from their owners in the South. Frederick Douglass, a well-known African American, inspired and encouraged many black men to join the army and fight for their freedom. Even though the blacks had a greater risk of danger, especially if captured by the Confederates, they continued to enlist. The black soldiers were originally paid $10 per month, with a $3 deduction for clothing. The whites were paid $13 per month, without a clothing deduction. In June of 1864, equal pay for all soldiers was granted. Black men comprised around 10% of the Union Army, and around 37,000 died throughout the entire war. Twenty-one black soldiers received Medals of Honor after the war ended.

//Union Laborers//
Some 250,000 blacks served as laborers for the military. They were scouts, spies, guides, cooks, blacksmiths, mule drivers, and hospital workers. At first the whites believed that the black volunteers were not brave enough to fight, and they even called the war a 'white man's war'. Even though this war was fought for the freedom of the slaves, white soldiers were still racist and treated the black soldiers like they were unimportant and not useful to the Northern army. In the army, the whites failed to treat the blacks equally and refused to let most of them get in on the fighting action.

//The Confederate Side//
In the beginning of 1865, General's Orders #14 was issued stating that black men could enlist in the Confederate Army. Not many did so, only one black company was assembled with 50 recruited men from Richmond. The general offered enlisted blacks freedom and undisturbed residence after the war. Most of the whites were afraid to arm the black soldiers. Arming these soldiers became a large debate in the South, so many worked as laborers, fixing roads and bridges and building new roads if necessary.

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=The Massachusetts 54th= The Massachusetts 54th Regiment was one of the first and more famous all black regiments in the Union Army. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, a 25 year old with abolitionist parents, commanded the group of 600 men. They were involved in the James Island skirmish, but more importantly, they spearheaded the attack on Fort Wagner in 1863. They took off running on the beach leading up to the fort. They were completely unprotected and open to enemy fire. Once they reached the fort, these men were brave and courageous and continued fighting until they were forced to retreat after an hour. They were followed by white regiments for two more hours but no one succeeded. The 54th regiment lost 256 men during this one fight, including Colonel Shaw. The Union requested the return of his body, but the Confederates declared that he had been buried with the black men from his regiment. To that his father said, "I can imagine no holier place than that in which he is, among his brave and devoted followers, nor wish for him better company." The story of the Massachusetts 54th was later made into a movie titled //Glory//.



=Women and Children in War= The black women and children were involved in the war similarly to the white women and children. When the men went off to fight, the women worked in the plantations and factories to keep them running. Some women, like Harriet Tubman, were allowed to help out in the army camps. Harriet Tubman was a famous black woman who was a "conductor" on the underground railroad. The railroad was a safe passageway from the South for slaves seeking freedom in the North. She was born a slave in Maryland in 1820. Harriet had escaped from the South herself and then went back around nineteen times to aid over 300 slaves to freedom. She earned the nicknames "Moses" and "General Tubman" by famous men for her courageous acts. During the Civil War, Harriet worked as a cook, nurse, and spy for the Union Army.



=Frederick Douglass= Frederick Douglass was born in 1818 to a slave mother and an unknown white man in eastern Maryland. Douglass believed in the abolition of slavery and racial equality. His full name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. At the age of seven his mother died and at eight he moved to Baltimore. In 1836, he vowed to be free by the end of the year but was jailed months later after his plan had been divulged. He finally got away in 1838 and settled in New Bedford, Massachusetts with his new wife. Douglass strived for education and continued reading after becoming free. He was inspired by William Lloyd Garrison to speak about his beliefs and he toured Europe doing so. He published an autobiography in 1845 and began the //North Star// three years later. Douglass inspired and recruited many blacks into the Union Army. Two of his sons, Lewis and Charles, fought in the Civil War, both beginning in the Massachusetts 54th regiment. Douglass died in 1895.

= Bibliography = "African American History & the Civil War(CWSS)." Web. 06 May 2010. .  "America's Civil War: 54th Massachusetts Regiment » HistoryNet."  // HistoryNet – From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher // . Web. 06 May 2010. .  "Black Soldiers in the Civil War."  // National Archives and Records Administration // . Web. 05 May 2010. .  "Colored Troops in the American Civil War."  // American Civil War History Timelines Battle Map Pictures // . Web. 06 May 2010. .  Creative Commons. Flickr. Search query: Colonel Robert Shaw.  Creative Commons. Google Images. Search query: Frederick Douglass. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> Creative Commons. Google Images. Search query: Harriet Tubman. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> "Featured Document: The Emancipation Proclamation." <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">// National Archives and Records Administration // <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. Web. 06 May 2010. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/>. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> Frankel, Noralee. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">// Break Those Chains at Last: African Americans, 1860-1880 // <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> "Frederick Douglass." <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;"> // PBS // <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. Web. 06 May 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html>. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> "Harriet Tubman." <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;"> // PBS // <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. Web. 05 May 2010. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html>. <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;"> YouTube - <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 32px;">// A Tribute to African American Soldiers During the Civil War // <span style="font-family: &#39;Times New Roman&#39;,Times,serif; font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 32px;">. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 06 May 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=542s_gEXTBI&feature=player_embedded>.