African Americans' Role in the Civil War

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The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. The war between the Union and the seceded southern states, also known as the Confederate States of America, began in 1861 and ended in a Union victory in 1865 (History.com, 2010). The Confederacy believed that the election of Abraham Lincoln would result in the abolishment slavery, which would have a huge economic impact on the South. African Americans from both the North and the South played an important role in the Civil War, as they participated in a variety of different ways (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2000). African Americans resisted the unnatural act of enslavement dated back to the instant their freedom was taken from them (Sinha, n.d.). Black and whites alike, along with Radical Republicans forced the issue of emancipation during the war. The actions of those aforementioned and slaves compelled Lincoln and his administration to address the system of slavery. However, Lincoln maintained his stance on the cause of the war to protect the Union and Congress passed a bill in 1864 authorizing equal pay. At first, white soldiers felt African Americans lacked courage to fight, but they put those assumptions to rest after demonstrating their heroism (PBS, n.d.). In my opinion, African Americans had more to fight for than any other cause of the Civil War. Freedom is a God-given right and never should have been taken from anyone. I imagine on the front lines their strength, courage, and perseverance outweighed that of any other because this was a chance at life, a life some always wanted, but had not known. African Americans represented ten percent of the Union’s fighting forces, but they were a strong and rising force (History.com, 2010). African American soldiers did not defeat the Confederate army themselves, but their arrival was right on time and impactful to say the

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