More handpicked essays just for you.
The participation of African Americans in the civil war
African American roles in the civil war
Black soldiers in civil war roles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Blacks in the Civil War
For the beginning, in the middle and in the ending of the Civil War in the United States, the Black Americans were central as soldier and civilian. At first, people tried hard to get around this fact. Even President Abraham Lincoln administration sent Black volunteers home with an understanding that the war was a ''White man's war". The policy was eventually changed not because of humanitarianism but because of the Confederation's battlefield brilliance. The South brought the North to a realization that it was in a real brawl that it needed all the weapons it could lay hands on.
The First Louisiana Native Guards became the first Black regiment to receive official recognition from the government. The Union brass had initially prevented the Blacks from seeing action in the war. Colonel Robert Shaw and his men of the Massachusetts 54th had to overcome fear, mockery and racism before they were allowed to fight. By the end of 1863, many thousands Blacks found employment in the Union Army. There were some 50, 000 Black soldiers in the ranks. Although Black soldiers were promised $13 a month, they were insulted with an offer of $7 a month. Black soldiers and sailors became indispensable elements in a war that could not have been won without their help. The triumph of the Union forces was due to a number of factors, including Northern technology and the spirit of the age. But the most preeminent factor was the contribution of slaves and freedmen who provided the margin of difference that turned the tide against the Confederate forces in 1864 and 1865. According to official records, there were 185, 000 Black soldiers in the Union Army. Their mortality rate was disproportionately high, 21% of the total number of Black soldiers. Equally visible and heroic were the sailors in the Union Navy. One out of every four Union sailors was black, they served on Union ships as coal heavers, stewards, boatswains, firemen and gunners. In addition the North was forwarded by more than 200,000 civilians, mostly freed slaves. They served as spies and scouts. The most remarkable of all Union spies was a woman named Harriet Tubman.
During the mid-1800s, separation in America between the North and the South became prevalent, especially over the idea of slavery, which eventually led to the Civil War. Women did not have much power during this time period, but under the stress and shortages of the War, they became necessary to help in fighting on and off the battlefields, such as by becoming nurses, spies, soldiers, and abolitionists (Brown). Many women gave so much assistance and guidance, that they made lasting impacts on the War in favor of who they were fighting for. Three inspiring and determined women who made huge impacts on contributing to the American Civil War are Rose O’Neal Greenhow, who worked as a spy for the Confederacy leading to multiple victories, Clara Barton, who worked as a nurse, a soldier, and formed the American Red Cross to continue saving lives, and Harriet Tubman, who conducted the Underground Railroad sending slaves to freedom, which enabled them and their actions to be remembered forever (Brown).
After the war, issues of race weren't ignored. Black men had come back from a war were they were treated like men. They still weren't treated as equally as whites, but they were treated better during the war than they were back home where they were treated like objects. This gave them more motivation to demand equality when they returned. But after the war, white hostility towards blacks increased. This became a dichotomy when there was competition for low wage jobs between the blacks and whites. There was also black encroachment into white neighborhoods. The whites d...
Black soldiers were among the bravest of those fighting in the Civil War. Both free Blacks in the Union army and escaped slaves from the South rushed to fight for their freedom and they fought with distinction in many major Civil War battles. Many whites thought Blacks could not be soldiers. They were slaves. They were inferior. Many thought that if Blacks could fight in the war it would make them equal to whites and prove the theory of slavery was wrong. Even though Black soldiers had to face much discrimination during the Civil War, they were willing to fight to the death for their freedom. In the movie “Glory“ the director focused on the African Americans in the north that fought in the 54th regiment led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. During the time of the Civil War, the African Americans that fought in the 54th regiment were often treated unfairly but there were always nice people that backed them up.
The Union contained approximately 70 percent of the nation’s railroads (Strengths and Weaknesses of the Union and Confederacy Double-Bubble Map). The substantial percentage of railroad tracks was not the only advantage the Union had over the Confederates. They also had trading ships and a large naval force (Strengths and Weaknesses of the Union and Confederacy Double-Bubble Map). However, the Confederacy wasn’t completely unprepared for the war, they had numerous powerful leaders on their side to help protect their land. There were numerous former officers of the United States Army that fought for the South, giving them experienced fighters to help with their strategy, and they also had numerous well-trained soldiers that were excellent at shooting ("Mr. Dowling The Civil War: Strengths and Weaknesses").
The movie Glory is about Colonel Robert Shaw coming back from the fighting in the war and leads the first African American regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts. The movie focuses on Captain turned Colonel Robert Shaw coming back from battle and training an African American regiment along with his friend Captain Cabot Forbes. The movie focuses on four African Americans, Sargent Rawlins, Thomas Searles, Jupiter Sharts, and Tripp, following their journey into a united division in the US military. The movie begins with Shaw in the Battle of Antietam, where he passed out due to his injuries and wakes up with the conflict over. Afterwards, he returns home in Massachusetts, showing signs that the battle had slightly traumatized him. Shaw meets Frederick Douglass there and is told that he will be the first to lead a colored regiment, the 54th Massachusetts. When he is told of this news, he asks his friend Cabot Forbes to assist him as his second in command. Shaw’s first volunteer for the 54th Mass. is other close friend Thomas Searles. After sending word of a colored regiment, many African Americans sign up, specifically Rawlins, Searles, and Tripp. However, Lincoln sends an order saying that any black person that takes arms in the war would either return to slavery or be put to death. Even though they face the threat of death, none of the soldiers-in-training leave. This scene is important since it demonstrates how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to get their freedom. The soldiers’ training begins and in order to train everyone correctly, Shaw brings in Col. Mulcahy. At this point of the film, some of the scenes can be viewed as Shaw being introduced to racism due to superiorit...
A couple of the ways the African Americans fought for their freedom were passing information and supplies to the Union Army. While the Union Army was passing through the South, many African American slaves
The Confederate Soldiers had very small food rations. They ate 12oz of bacon or salted beef, 20oz of bread or cornmeal, rice and peas daily. If a soldier today received that much food then they would be very hungry by the end of the day. Most men that signed up for the army were between ages 18 to 29 and most were farmers. African Americans were not allowed to be in the army. White men were paid $11 a month in 1861, and in 1864 they were raised to $18 a month.
African Americans helped shape the Civil War from various perspectives. Actually, they were the underlying foundation for the war if you think about it in depth. African Americans were slaves and had been dealt with like property since they arrived in America. The likelihood of opportunity for these slaves created an enormous commotion in the South. The issue of equal rights for African Americans brought on a gap between the states. The United States Civil War began as an effort to save the Union, and ended in a fight to abolish slavery. The Civil War, frequently known as the War Between the States in the United States, which was a Civil War battled from 1861 to 1865, after seven Southern slave states proclaimed their severance and framed the Confederate States of the United States. More Americans died in the Civil War than in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. Two thirds of the individuals that were killed in the Civil War died of disease. The medical world at the time of the Civil War and advanced disinfectants, did not exist which could have enormously lessen the spread of disease and illnesses. After years of bloody combat that left over 600,000 soldier’s dead and destroyed much of the South's infrastructure, the Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, & the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring national unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began. By December 1865 the 13th Amendment had abolished slavery throughout the United States (Waldstreicher).
The article, “The Negro’s Civil War in Tennessee, 1861-1865” by Bobby L. Lovett, can be found in "The Journal of Negro History. Lovett's article relates the importance of the contributions the black soldiers of Tennessee made during the Civil War. He portraits to the reader the determination of these black Tennesseans fight to gain their freedom under some extremely violent and racial conditions.
By the Spring of 1863, African Americans were fighting in many wars. They were a very big help to the Union. About 10 percent of the Union's navy was African Americans.
Slaveholders “accept the aid of the black person,” he said. “Why should a good cause be less wisely conducted” (Douglass and most other observers ignored blacks’ service in both the Union and Confederate navies from the beginning of the war.)? In refusing to use blacks as soldiers and laborers, the Lincoln administration was “fighting the rebels with only one hand”—it's white hand—and ignoring a potent source of black power.
Prior to World War I there was much social, economic, and political inequality for African Americans. This made it difficult for African Americans to accept their own ethnicity and integrate with the rest of American society. By the end of World War II however African Americans had made great strides towards reaching complete equality, developing their culture, securing basic rights, and incorporating into American society.
The movie “Glory” tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. It became the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers – some were Northern freemen, some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fighting, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers.
They marched in every campaign between 1864 to 1865, but Frederick Douglas had to convince president Lincoln because it wasn’t allowed for the first 18 months (Moore and Neal 3-5). In some cases during the war casualty rates were very high, such as in the Battle of Fort Pillow, Tennessee, in 1864, where only 62 of 292 Black Union troops survived (Moore and Neal 4). Despite this terrible loss of life Bush Banks describes how these brave African American troops carried out their duties faithfully: Foremost in the ranks of warriors, our black heroes took their place. With the lines of fearless courage. Stamped upon each dusky face.” ( Moore and Neal
African Americans fought until the Jim Crow laws were taken out of effect, and they received equality of all people regardless of race. Along the way there were many controversial court cases and important leaders who helped to take a stand against racial segregation.