African Americans In The Civil War Essay

Before WORLD WAR I, military service represented a source of black pride. Black educators, clergymen, and the press frequently referred to Negro heroes of America’s past wars. After the Civil War, the U.S, Army maintained four regular Negro regiments –the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry. These units included veterans of the civil war and the frontier Indian fighting regiments. Retired sergeants often became respected, conservative leaders in their communities. This history set a foundation for black support and involvement in America’s future wars.

In the history of the United States, African Americans have always been discriminated against. When Africans first came to America, they were taken against their will and forced to work as laborers. They became slaves to the rich, greedy, lazy Americans. They were given no pay and often badly whipped and beaten. African Americans fought for their freedom, and up until the Civil War it was never given to them. When the Civil War began, they wanted to take part in fighting to free all slaves. Their opportunity to be soldiers and fight along side white men equally did not come easily, but eventually African Americans proved themselves able to withstand the heat of battle and fight as true American heroes.

With the various ways slavery was spread throughout the geography of the United States, these variations formed different cultures and conflicting laws on slavery. Due to inconsistent systems of slavery, it resulted in the Civil War, dividing the North and the South over the issues of slavery. In the end of the Civil War, many individuals with every sense of positive intentions gave opportunities and support to freed slaves developing into beneficial members for the nation. The United States came together as a nation to solve the issues of slavery, freedom, and the reorganization problems particular to African Americans. It is seen throughout our history all efforts to solve these issues but sadly African Americans still face many of the these problems today. These problems and issues of the 20th century needed to be solved by the leadership of African Americans, for their African American community. W.E.B Du Bois is a tremendous example of an African American leader for what was best for the United States at that time.

As of the mid-19th century and on was when African Americans and women were beginning to gain somewhat equal rights or were still disputing them. It is also well know that both have suffered in vastly different manners, but in some cases are very similar in certain struggles. African American men and women had to survive the terrors of the Ku Klux Klan in the southern states, managing life with the Black Code looming over their every move. They were basically fighting for something that a lot of people take for granted, their right to live as a regular citizen. White women on the other hand had their fair share of discrimination as well, when it came to labor, labor organizations and, equal wages.

About 180,000 African American people comprised 163 units that served in the Union Army, during the time of the Civil War, and many more African American people had served in the Union Navy. Both the free African-Americans and the runaway slaves had joined the fight. On the date of July 17, in the year of 1862, the U. S. Congress had passed two very important acts that would allow the enlistment of many African Americans, but the official enrollment had occurred only after the September, 1862, issuance of the, Emancipation Proclamation. In general, most white soldiers and officers, had believed that most of the black men, who had served in the Civil War, lacked the courage, and the will to fight

Imagine fighting for a great cause, a cause that would benefit many people. Help benefit the society in which we live in. That 's a chance many African Americans dreamed of having. They finally had their chance to prove themselves among the white people. Their opportunity was here, they were going to fight in the Civil War. African Americans fought for both the Confederates and the Union. The Confederates were the people in the southern part of the United States who believed they needed to keep slaves to benefit the economy. The Union were the people in the north part of the United States who believed in the abolishment of slavery. Some of these African Americans were former slaves, others were African Americans who wanted to abolish (or get rid of) slavery. Over 180,000 African Americans served in the Civil War. Many however, were not recognized after the war ended. At the time when the Civil War occurred there were over 4 million slaves in the south. The Union fought to unite the divided country and to free the slaves. The south fought for independence and to decide the future of the southern slavery. In this paper we will look at 2 amazing stories of troubles, sorrows, and triumphs of these brave soldiers.

The colonists would probably have kept African Americans out of the military during the war if not for the proclamation by the John Murray, Earl of Dumore. He stated “I do hereby further declare all indented servants, Negroes, or others, free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining His Majesty’s Troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing the Colony to a proper sense of their duty, to His Majesty’s crown and dignity.'; This brought chaos to the colonies, the fear of slaves turning against their masters, and

In Post-Reconstruction time, Black Americans were left reeling from the aftermath of the Civil War, and Reconstruction inadequate attempt to right the wrongs of history. They also faced the horror and humiliation of Jim Crow, the terror of the Ku Klux Klan and other like-minded organizations, and the weight of oppressive legislation. These challenges resided in the consciousness of Black Americans at the turn of the 19th century, and carried on into the 20th century.

Many blacks received half rations and were forced to work most of the week. Lacking land, savings, or any other way to support themselves, they were forced into the uncertainties of the labour market. Blacks were valuable employees in many ways. Most of them had been tradesmen of some sort, usually in rough trades like carpentry and woodcutting. Large numbers of them had experience in the Black Pioneers, where they had dug trenches and constructed forts. White soldiers frequently had no skills, and were used to the inflated wages they had received during the war. By comparison, the blacks were much more useful, especially since their lack of power and protectors meant they could be freely exploited.

In Southern American history, the focus tends to remain on events that occurred from white, male citizens and politicians. These events, whether it is the civil war, the reconstruction period, World War I, or other well-known American historical events, white males are mainly centered around the story. Due to this narrow focus, the other genders and races that were affected or affiliated with these events are often neglected. Historian Glenda Gilmore stated “Revisioning southern politics must take into account the plethora of new sources on African American and women’s history, grapple with the theoretical insight that gender and race are socially constructed, and test new ideas about the junctures of public and private space in political culture” (Gilmore, p.xvi). In other words, the southern political history should not revolve around one group or source. Instead, this history needs to display other information or insight about the other groups, in this case African Americans, to gather a well-rounded perspective of southern political culture. Tera Hunter’s “To ‘Joy My Freedom” answers Gilmore’s call by giving a voice to African Americans, especially African American women, by displaying the social construction of race and gender, as well as the showcasing the difficulties that southern political culture put on these women.

The years preceding the Civil War were monstrous for African Americans located in the South of the country. Northerners and Southerners would argue that their visions of how society is structured is the right way and should be expanded throughout the nation. Southerners claimed that slavery is okay, and it’s a positive labor system. On the contrary, Northerners claim that laborers should be paid by wage, men should have equal opportunities, and slaves should gain freedom. The four most significant events that led to the American Civil war were the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, John Brown’s raid, and the presidential election of 1860 because they grew disagreements between the North and the South of what should be done about slavery.

After a long journey, Robert Lee surrendered to the Union, and in theory, slaves were given freedom. While news spread that the Confederacy lost, slaves rejoiced over the news. However, without the knowledge of their future, slaves would celebrate prematurely, no knowing that the battle for freedom was not merely over. Freedom was hard and long struggle for freed slaves but a natural born right for white people. Whites would not cherish the taste of acquiring freedom, unlike freed slaves, who would die just for a sliver of freedom. Acquiring freedom for freed slaves was difficult because it was an incorporation of new rights; such as the right to participate in the economy, which was combatted by the lack of knowledge of the economy, and

The road to freedom from slavery was long and hard for the African Americans. With the war just beginning

In American History very few actions change the course of American history like the Civil war. The Dred Scott decision through America into chaos. Compromise was no longer possible and the only way to solve the nations pronlems seemed like war. As a result America was further divided, more Northerners became abolitionists and America was further than ever from being a unified nation. Political issues and disagreements began soon after the American Revolution ended in 1782. Between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the North and South grew more intense.

Horrific! The American Civil War, also known as the War Between States and the War Of Secession, was an extremely gruesome and bloody war (World Book 614). The war, which started on April 12, 1861, when the southern troops fired on Fort Sumter, and ended 4 years later, took more American lives than any other war in history (614). This war was between a divided union in whish the southern states were trying to preserve slavery while the northern states were dedicated to a more modern way of life and were trying to end slavery (614). This war was fought in the minds of great men like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee and the end of the war was the beginning of a slavery free nation.