What Was The Role Of African Americans In The Abolition Of Slavery?

The United States of America has historical events that underlie the primary example of a country which overcomes every adversity with courage and commitment. Several pieces of history can obviously emphasize the strength of those who inhabited this nation and shaped it into what it is today; one of which is the era of slavery. Slavery is a topic that is often rejected during the mentioning of historical events in America primarily due to the fact that it contradicts what American culture advocates. When attempting to reprimand their previous discriminatory actions towards African Americans, many Americans often fail to realize the impact that African Americans truly had on this country. Without slavery, as inauspicious as the idea may sound, the framework of America would have not been established, its populational growth would not have been as rapid, and the amount of labor that induced economic and military success would be nearly impossible, thus leading to the conclusion that America would not have excelled without slavery.

Slavery was a complicated issue for Northern whites. As pointed out by historian Kevin M. Schultz (2011), Northerners were generally in agreement that slavery was wrong, yet they were very uneasy with the idea of creating a large, free black population in the U.S. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was a step toward that idea. The Proclamation did not free all slaves, since the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware were exempted, as were Tennessee and areas of Virginia and Louisiana already under Union occupation (Schultz, 2011, p. 265). An important provision, however, was that black Americans would now be allowed to join the military. In the two years following the Emancipation Proclamation, 180,000 black men enlisted (Schultz, p. 265). They were poorly treated but eager to fight for a cause in which they had a high stake. Their numbers and their passion for the cause made African-American soldiers a powerful asset to the Union.

Beginning in 1861, the civil war was fought over many political questions regarding slavery, yet was barely focused on the actual freedom of the slaves themselves. It is often taught that the Union fought for the freedom of slaves at the beginning of the war. However, it is more accurate to say that Abraham Lincoln’s primary goal at the beginning of the war was to reunite the Union after the majority of the slave-owning states seceded to protect their way of life: slavery. Yet, by the end of the war, the Union’s goal was to free the slaves. Though the laws securing slaves freedom and suffrage were contributed to by many, the primary driving forces behind them was the African Americans. Through their willingness to fight and support the Union cause, African Americans made the United States acknowledge their struggles and transformed the war into a fight for reconnection and freedom. Though hindered by racist people and policies, the African Americans’ participation during the war and Reconstruction greatly contributed to tremendous cultural change as well as the securing of legal rights to blacks.

The issue of slavery was left out of the Declaration of Independence for a reason, but why? We’ll also go over what the abolition of slavery is. We will find out whether abolition was present in the colonies during the American Revolution. And we will discuss how Lord Dunmore’s 1775 Proclamation influenced the Declaration of Independence. Those are the topics we will be covering today.

In the beginning, many refugee slaves found by Union Military were returned to their lives in the south, but through policy changes and leadership decisions they were put to work in many ways including serving in the Union Army. Lincoln quickly recognized the power the newly recruited slaves provided to the Army. At the same time, this also pressured the President to hold true to his promise of emancipation. “If they stake their lives for us they must be prompted by the strongest motive…the promise of freedom. And the promise being made must be kept” (McPherson pg.8)

As Confederates used slave labor for military purposes and blacks began to escape to Union lines, this initial policy of ignoring slavery became untenable. By the end of 1861, Union commanders had begun treating escaped slaves as “contraband” of war—property of military value subject to confiscation. Southern blacks themselves took actions that propelled the Union toward ending slavery. Well before Lincoln’s Emancipation Act, slaves saw the war as an opportunity to gain their freedom. Thousands escaped to the safety of Union lines, crippling many plantations. In areas occupied by northern soldiers, slaves refused to work unless paid.

Brent Hadden IB TOK Mr. Knox March 13th, 2015 What was the most important effect that the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln, had during the American Civil War? On September 22, 1862, Lincoln gave the Confederacy a warning by issuing preliminary proclamation that gave the confederate states one of two options; join the Union by January 1, 1863 or lose your slaves. After none of the confederate states returned to the Union, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Slaves turn the war in favor of the Union when the Emancipation Proclamation was added to the Constitution. The Emancipation Proclamation, which declared slaves in Confederate-held territory to be free and at some point freed all slaves free in Union controlled areas. The Emancipation Proclamation alter the course of the Civil War and change the course of American History because it led to the enlisting of blacks troops in the Union army in both the North and South. By the end of the war more than 1800,000 black men had served in the army with another 24,000 in the navy on the side of the Unions Army. Most of the soldiers who join were emancipated slaves that joined the

Throughout history, African Americans both free and enslaved were not treated equally nor permitted with the same rights as white men. African Americans were enslaved and not allowed to vote or hold public office. Since the 15th century, African Americans have been treated less than human, some even experienced brutal punished for justifiable mistakes. The use of African American slave labor was an enormous contribution to agriculture and labor. It became a part of southern state’s economy within America. Additionally, African Americans were forced or born into slavery where they endured harsh working conditions with zero pay and often times were punished by their masters. Even slaves that became emancipated or paid for their freedom were also treated differently than whites. Notably, blacks did not have the same privileges as whites and were forced to carry a “freedom card” wherever they went. Failing to do so would lead to severe consequences, such as being forced back into slavery. Once African Americans were considered free, they faced additional discriminations such as not being able to vote or serve as a figure in public office. Due to this and additional factors, African Americans were almost entirely incapable of defending themselves against whites. Since the start of the 17th century, African Americans, free and enslaved were punished for their skin color and were considered the lowest scale by not being allowed to the same opportunities and rights and white men.

In the Confederacy, African-Americans are still slaves and they serve mostly in labor positions. Although, most slaves that serve are impressed as a slave labor force, others are brought by their masters to tend to their master’s needs. In some cases, these servants are entrusted with a masters personal affects if he is killed, and he is to return them to his family. There are several reports of servants or slaves that took their masters spot on the battlefield and were soon adopted into the regiment. Records also show us men that serve or served as color-bearers in militia units. Tens of thousands have and are serving, willingly or otherwise.

The important theme of resistance towards the institutions of slavery in America is a major factor that contributed to the formation of the United States. Since slaves arrived in the Chesapeake in the early seventeenth century, slaves resisted their enslavement just as anyone else would, to claim some measure of freedom against an institution that defined people as property. African Americans resisted slavery in many different forms in order to secure customary rights that dictated work routines, the speed of work, rations distributed, and other basic liberties granted to white Americans. Such forms of resistance include everything from armed rebellion and violence to using passive thinking, which involves a very subtle rebellious engagement.

51).Along the way, African Americans guided slaves to safety towards Canada. Blacks also provided food and clothing for these slaves along their journey. Slaves were also appointed to helpful whites and it brought attention to the fact that slaves yearned to be free. This abolitionists used to their advantage as support against slavery. Harriet Tubman was the most famous of agents to the Underground Railroad. In her lifetime, she rescued nearly 300 enslaved blacks and made 19 trips to the south before she became ill (Ronald, , para. 53).Freedom for blacks was looked upon as a gift rather than a right to each individual. After the election of Abraham Lincoln, the south broke off into the Confederate States of America. They did not want slavery to end. Lincoln thus declared a war to fight for the Union, not a war for slavery. He was afraid that he might lose some of his most loyal white supporters by allowing blacks to fight in the war. When things cooled down, blacks were allowed to fight in the war and the War Department was created in May 1863. Also in 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was to end slavery in the confederate states. Although slavery was nearly over, blacks were still being discriminated against despite their willingness to fight for America in the Civil war. Blacks were paid less, treated poorly, and simply looked down upon by whites. This began the era of Jim Crow laws in the south which were discriminatory against

The history of African-Americans has been a paradox of incredible triumph in the face of tremendous human tragedy. African-American persons were shown much discrimination and were treated as second class citizens in the colonies during the development of the nation. The first set men, women, and children to work in the colonies were indentured servants, meaning they were only required to work for a set amount of years before they received their freedom. Then, in 1619 the first black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave laws in place, they were initially treated as indentured servants, a source of free labor, and given the same opportunities for freedom dues as whites. However, slave laws were soon passed – in Massachusetts in

By the time that the slave trade had been abolished in Britain and her colonies in 1807 eleven million men, women and children had been snatched from their homes. For historians understanding the factors that led to the abolition of the trade remains an important task. Whilst there is clearly a consensus on the main factors that led to this seismic and historic event there is obviously a difference in opinion on the most important due to the degree of subjectivity the question poses.

Everyone in this room comes from a family with a history of hard workers. These families built these countries on their backs. White Americans emigrated to these United States because of civil unrest and unemployment. Black Americans were brought here by force. Both worked intensive labour. These United States were built by all Americans. The one thing we SHOULD not forget is that during the chapter of slavery in this country, many Americans, black and white, fought for the abolition of slaves.