The Civil War was a huge turning point in the lives of a large portion of the nation’s African Americans. It served as a source for many firsts for their society. Following the war, they were able to do many things that they were unable to before, such as enlist in the army, vote, and acquire freedom. Through self-acclaimed emancipation, war involvement, and equality within the army, African American soldiers in the Civil War were able to positively influence their future in a racist-infused society. Arguably one of the biggest successes of the freedom of slaves in the Civil War era is Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation when that is in fact not what freed the slaves at all; it was the slaves themselves. In reality, Lincoln truly …show more content…
hoped that the document would be the saving grace for the Union. He says this himself in a letter he wrote to author Horace Greeley, saying that his “paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery” (Lincoln). This is clearly observable if the Proclamation itself is examined. The only slaves he “freed” were those belonging to Confederate territories that the government had no control over. Even more questionable, he also excluded a lot of states, such as those that had Union occupation or that were border states. After the clarifications of boundaries, it essentially only left the northern states to not be obligated into setting their slaves free. With all of the border, northern, and southern states protected due to the exemptions, the Proclamation did not do much, which is why African Americans fought for their freedom themselves. In order to break their shackles, African Americans obtained freedom in one of multiple ways. With this being a war era, the most common way that freedom was achieved was by following the desperate recruitment of black soldiers for the Union army due to the promise of freedom afterward. If they could not legally get on the front line, then they got their self-emancipation by running away from their masters in order to do so. They did not always go straight to the Union though. Their work was also offered as pioneers and spies (Berlin). If none of these attempts proved to be successful, and if the individual was fortunate enough to do so, they also occasionally purchased their freedom. These methods were brought to the attention of both white citizens and Union officials. Their contributions to the army made it apparent that their participation could be beneficial to them. It also became apparent that for every black soldier they took in, the Confederates lost a potential fighter, ultimately giving the Union the upper hand. After a while this became the reason why Lincoln revised the Proclamation in order to make it more suitable for the freedom of more slaves, eventually going on to draft and promote the 13th Amendment. If it were not for the daring choices African Americans made to prove to the whites that they were just as worthy of freedom as they were, who knows when they would have truly been emancipated. Shortly following the Civil War era, America moved into the Reconstruction Era in order to acclimate the whites to live with the blacks.
That bravery the black soldiers displayed in the war is what eventually earned them mediocre equality in society. That bravery is what helped the Union win the war. Had the Confederates won, the black society would have never seen the light of day again, because even though they had black soldiers fight for them, they were still incredibly against them. Immediately following the war, a majority of black soldiers that were now considered free, had no place to go. A lot of them were unable to find food, shelter, or jobs, so an organization called the Freedmen’s Bureau came about. It was largely comprised of colored Civil War soldiers, most of which “did not know how to be free,” while the white people “did not know how to have a free colored person around them” (Library of Congress). The bureau gave blacks the opportunity to have education, jobs, opportunities to become literate, and other various beneficial …show more content…
opportunities. For a short while, the African American community was receiving benefits that they never had before, thanks to their time in the army.
While the bureau was helping them with education and jobs, the government was beginning to show more protection through the works of the 14th and 15th Amendments, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Up until the Jim Crow era began towards the end of the Revolutionary era, African Americans had begun to live a life with proper citizenship given regardless of race, voting abilities (only for the men), land ownership, and a few more miscellaneous rights given under these judicial gifts. All of these combined were the stepping stones to helping African Americans peacefully become and stay a part of America’s society. Had they not been in the army, they likely would not have gotten as much assistance as they did from both the public and the government that ultimately contributed to their societal equality. While it may not have lasted for any decent amount of time, they were still given what the whites thought to be equal rights, which is all that matters; this was their first steps into being fully
accepted. In order to be fully accepted, they first had to be socially accepted in the Union army. This came through equality amongst the white and black soldiers, which was something that was particularly hard to come by. Because the blacks were thought to be less than human compared to whites, they were thought to be essentially useless on the battlefield. They, therefore, were given nonsense jobs to complete or weapons to fight with all the way in the back of the field to act as a pathetic last hoorah. They were often mistreated by other soldiers and commanders and were not paid as much as the others. This injustice led to them feeling like they did not have as much self-respect for themselves, or that they were not as valuable of a human as the white soldiers were (Hallowell). Thinking in such a way could highly impact their skills on the field, making them less engaged compared to the praised whites. Perhaps if they were respected and treated as if they were just another white soldier, they would have been more willing to contribute with full engagement and effort, ultimately helping the Union more than they already had. Through self-acclaimed emancipation, war involvement, and equality within the army, African American soldiers in the Civil War were able to positively influence their future in a racist-infused society. They proved to be fair contributors to the war and managed to change the way society works while doing so by expediting their emancipation, achieving civil justice through Amendments pertaining to their problems, and bringing awareness to the inequalities both in society and in the army that they fought for. Their efforts have not and will not be forgotten because that was only the beginning of a long journey in the search for equality.
After the Civil War, blacks were provided with rights they probably never dreamed of having during slavery. They were made citizens of the United States and given equal protection under the laws. If you were male, and of a certain age, you were also given the ballot. Each of these things represented both a great victory for for the freed people, and the promise of a bright future.
With the end of the Civil war, many blacks felt that they would start reaping the benefits that had been denied from them for years. Being able to vote, own land, have a voice in political affairs were all goals that they felt were reachable. The era of Reconstruction was the “miracle” they had been searching for. But the South wasn’t going down without a fight and blacks would have to wait at least 100 years for Freedom Summer to arrive to receive the “miracle” they wanted. 100 years it took for equality to become more than just a word but a way of life for blacks. But they did enjoy some privileges that weren’t available to them.
Abraham Lincoln’s original views on slavery were formed through the way he was raised and the American customs of the period. Throughout Lincoln’s influential years, slavery was a recognized and a legal institution in the United States of America. Even though Lincoln began his career by declaring that he was “anti-slavery,” he was not likely to agree to instant emancipation. However, although Lincoln did not begin as a radical anti-slavery Republican, he eventually issued his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves and in his last speech, even recommended extending voting to blacks. Although Lincoln’s feeling about blacks and slavery was quite constant over time, the evidence found between his debate with Stephen A. Douglas and his Gettysburg Address, proves that his political position and actions towards slavery have changed profoundly.
During the time period of 1860 and 1877 many major changes occurred. From the beginning of the civil war to the fall of the reconstruction, the United States changed dramatically. Nearly one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence which declared all men equal, many social and constitutional alterations were necessary to protect the rights of all people, no matter their race. These social and constitutional developments that were made during 1860 to 1877 were so drastic it could be called a revolution.
On April 12, 1861, Abraham Lincoln declared to the South that, the only reason that separate the country is the idea of slavery, if people could solve that problem then there will be no war. Was that the main reason that started the Civil war? or it was just a small goal that hides the real big reason to start the war behind it. Yet, until this day, people are still debating whether slavery is the main reason of the Civil war. However, there are a lot of facts that help to state the fact that slavery was the main reason of the war. These evidences can relate to many things in history, but they all connect to the idea of slavery.
The efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau included provision of relief food, offering health services to the sick, allocating land for settlement to the former slaves, setting up of a judicial system, enacting an education system and enforcing labor laws that allowed the freed men to seek employment. While they were unable to help everyone, they did set precedents and have a huge impact on reconstruction.
After the Civil War there was a problem on how freed people would survive. The ex-slaves after the Civil War didn’t have a place to settle or money. They had no skills other than farming to procure jobs so they couldn’t earn money. Freedmen’s Bureau provided shelter, resources, an education, and taught necessary skills to get jobs (Jordan 386).
Those studying the experience of African Americans in World War II consistently ask one central question: “Was World War II a turning point for African Americans?” In elaboration, does World War II symbolize a prolongation of policies of segregation and discrimination both on the home front and the war front, or does it represent the start of the Civil Rights Movement that brought racial equality? The data points to the war experience being a transition leading to the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s.
Abraham Lincoln deserves the accolade “The Great Emancipator”. The title “Great Emancipator” has been the subject of many controversies. Some people have argued that the slaves themselves are the central story in the achievement of their own freedom. Others demonstrate that emancipation could result from both a slave’s own extraordinary heroism and the liberating actions of the Union forces. However, my stance is to agree that Abraham Lincoln deserves to be regarded as “The Great Emancipator” for his actions during and following the Civil War.
President Lincoln has had numerous achievements, such as ending slavery, modernizing the economy, and preserving the Union. Lincoln is famously known for ending slavery. He issued the Emancipation of Proclamation. The presidential proclamation was issued during the American Civil War. Lincoln stated in his speech, "I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of states, and henceforward shall be free."
Decades of research has shown us that African Americans have been depressed for hundreds of years. Although the Declaration of Independence states “All men are created equal,” that rule did not apply to African Americans. By the end of the Civil War more than 180,000 black soldiers were in the United States Military. After the Civil War, many Africa...
Even with this government legislation, the newly dubbed 'freedmen' were still discriminated against by most people and, ironically, they were soon to be restricted and segregated once again under government rulings in important court cases of the era. Reconstruction was intended to give African-Americans the chance for a new and better life. Many of them stayed with their old masters after being freed, while others left in search of opportunity through education as well as land ownership. However, this was not exactly an easy task. There were many things standing in their way, chiefly white supremacists and the laws and restrictions they placed upon African-Americans.
Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as “The Great Emancipator,” His legacy as the man who freed the slaves, and the savior of the Union is one that fails to be forgotten. He is thought of as a hero, and one of the few to tackle slavery, a problem that has existed in many parts of the world at one time or another. Although Lincoln is credited with ending slavery, his political motives for confronting this issue and his personal views do not make him worthy of all the recognition he receives; the driven abolitionists and daring slaves deserve a much greater portion of the credit.
Once freed, African Americans believed that the rights of a citizen were granted to them. They truthfully believed this because after a brutally fought war, basic rights such as education, land, and employment were so modest, they were undeniable. Even though they were proclaimed as free, their place is society remained unaffected. The Freedmen's Bureau became one of the earlier agencies to provide support for newly freedmen. The agency offered education, advice and protection to its members. The most significant asset of the bureau was education. The literacy rate of African Americans rose about twenty percent due to the organization. Some freedmen even attended colleges to earn degrees. Many white Southerners viewed the African American attempt at education as a waste of time. They condemned the efforts of their social improvement. With much criticism by racist whites and inadequate funds, the Freedmen's Bureau concluded by 1872 injuring African American hopes of social equality.
...or their heroic efforts during times of such as the 369th battalion and Doris Miller. African Americans had more of their basic rights, political voice, respect, and were able to blend into American society by the end of World War II.