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. Confederate Tennessee's State General Assembly in 1861, was the first state to draft black men into military service. The requirements for this Act were: all free black men age 15 to 50 were eligible for labor units, they would be paid $18 a month, and anyone who refused would arrested. This left the black man little choice but to enlist and go to war for the South. When the Civil War was in its' early stages, many ex-slaves wanted to get in on the action. They were hoping to get revenge against those who had …show more content…
For example, the Winchester and Cedar Creek Valley campaign in the 1864, and the battle at Saylor's Creek, where General Lee lost a third of his army in 1865 may also be considered decisive battles. Even if the Battle of Nashville was not the decisive battle, it was one of the decisive battles and the black soldier did contribute to these defeats. The black soldier fought with great passion and bravery and many more blacks served as laborers, spies and scouts. It is a shame that prejudice these blacks faced stopped some from serving in combat, but they did end up serving with distinction in many of the battles. Lovett is very through in his relating of the facts and dates. But on a personal note I would like to have known more about individual accomplishments of some of these brave black people during the Civil War. Did any of these soldiers do something heroic or were any of them promoted to
The 1989 film Glory is a classic Civil War film based on the history of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment. The film focuses on the courage displayed by the first black regiment in the Civil War, also known as the “Fighting Fifty-fourth.” The regiment headed by the admirable Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, Matthew Broderick, must overcome an enormous amount of adversity during the war. The film was daring for filmmakers Zwick and Fields because it was a film not only with, “vivid and frightening battle scenes and finely etched dramatic characters, but a film that shattered the great Civil War taboo-it told a story of African Americans(Chadwick). Many articles and texts leading up to the film failed to mention the participation of African Americans in the Civil War. In fact, the participation of African Americans helped turn the course of the war and nearly 300,000 fought for the North.
David W. Blight's book Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory and the American Civil War, is an intriguing look back into the Civil War era which is very heavily studied but misunderstood according to Blight. Blight focuses on how memory shapes history Blight feels, while the Civil War accomplished it goal of abolishing slavery, it fell short of its ultimate potential to pave the way for equality. Blight attempts to prove that the Civil War does little to bring equality to blacks. This book is a composite of twelve essays which are spilt into three parts. The Preludes describe blacks during the era before the Civil War and their struggle to over come slavery and describes the causes, course and consequences of the war. Problems in Civil War memory describes black history and deals with how during and after the war Americans seemed to forget the true meaning of the war which was race. And the postludes describes some for the leaders of black society and how they are attempting to keep the memory and the real meaning of the Civil War alive and explains the purpose of studying historical memory.
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.
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 American Civil War is perhaps the most important event in U.S. history since the American Revolution. Over half a million men would perish between the Union and Confederate Armies. It is important to know that Ulysses S. Grant was an important figure (perhaps the most important behind Abraham Lincoln) in the war. Many will see him as the hero of the American Civil War. Nevertheless there were others who would play an important role to help the Union win the Civil War. The implementation of black soldiers was crucial to the Union in order to achieve victory against the Confederate Army. Yet, the contributions and accomplishments of black soldiers during the Civil War were overlooked for nearly a century following the Civil War. However, within the last 30 years, many scholars and historians have begun to publish books on the history of black soldiers and their contributions to the Civil War. During the Civil War, free blacks were permitted to serve in the Union Army. But it was not until 1863, that black soldiers would see combat and charge against the confederate armies. It is estimated that around 186,000 African American served the Union Army throughout the war, with the creation of 163 colored regiments. My research paper will focus on the Black regiments of the American Civil War and their importance to U.S. history. Some of the important issues that will be discussed in this paper will include the struggles of black soldiers during the Civil War, from their wage earnings (where most made less money than white soldiers); the clothes they wore (most had no uniforms at all). Also, many of these soldiers had trouble getting the basic necessities like shoes, socks and soap. Other areas I will discuss will be the discriminatio...
There were many important battles the African Americans fought in and they really helped humongously. Some of these important battles were like the assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina by the 54th Massachusetts ...
The Conscription Act delivered the final straw in the long list of discrepancies, the catalyst that turned that small forest fire into a raging inferno of hate and fear. The white working class (mostly Irish immigrants) were infuriated, they couldn’t understand how they, white, hard-working voters were being punished. The government was forcing them to fight a war they didn’t support and the only way they could avoid it was to pay 300 dollars (a years wages for most), yet they would pay African Americans 1,000 dollars for volunteering. The new federal draft conditions also expanded to include a wider age range of men it would take. “The conscription law targeted men between the ages of 20 and 35, and all unmarried men up to age 45.” Adding to the already high tensions of laborers, since the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation they ...
The Union army did not allow runaway slaves from the South to serve in their army. However, in 1863, Congress passed the Second Confiscation and Militia Act, freeing all slaves in the South who had masters serving for the Confederacy. Now, these free slaves fled to the North and were allowed to join the Union. When Lincoln passed the Emancipation Proclamation, thousands of Blacks enlisted into the Union army. Unfortunately, the Union did not use the Black regiments as much as they should have, and Blacks soon began to stop enlisting. Again, acts of racism by whites affected Blacks
Throughout American history, African Americans have had to decide whether they belonged in the United States or if they should go elsewhere. Slavery no doubtfully had a great impact upon their decisions. However, despite their troubles African Americans made a grand contribution and a great impact on both armed forces of the Colonies and British. "The American Negro was a participant as well as a symbol."; (Quarles 7) African Americans were active on and off the battlefield, they personified the goal freedom, the reason for the war being fought by the Colonies and British. The African Americans were stuck in the middle of a war between white people. Their loyalty was not to one side or another, but to a principle, the principle of liberty. Benjamin Quarles' book, The Negro in the American Revolution, is very detailed in explaining the importance of the African American in the pre America days, he shows the steps African Americans took in order to insure better lives for generations to come.
In the first year of the war, both sides had far more volunteers than they could effectively train and equip. After the initial enthusiasm faded, reliance on the cohort of young men who came of age every year and wanted to join was not enough. Both sides used a draft law—conscription—as a device to encourage or force volunteering; relatively few were actually drafted and served. The Confederacy passed a draft law in April 1862 for young men aged 18 to 35; overseers of slaves, government officials, and clergymen were exempt.
...ice. This regiment later became by a strange mutation of history, the first black regiment officially recognized by the Union army.13 It was not until the end of the war that Gen. Lee and President Davis issued the "Negro soldier law" calling for the enlistment of slaves immediately.
America's bloodiest and most deadly battle was The American Civil War. America was never the same after the civil war. America changed and became a different nation. The civil war is noted as one of the most meaningful, impacting, and important events in America’s history. The Civil War was fought between the northern and the southern states. However, its impact was felt by the entire nation politically, economically, and socially. This war cost over 600,000 lives and divided the nation.
There was individual African Americans who made an important impact in the civil war. For example Frederick Douglass he was known for being a escape slave and a good public speaker for his efforts to end slavery. But he was also well known for his efforts in the civil war for being a “Consultant to President Abraham Lincoln and helped convince him that slaves should serve in the Union forces and that the abolition of slavery should be a goal of the war.” (Douglass role in the civil war).http://www.americaslibrary.gov/ (5/22/14). Douglass also helped the Union recruit african americans soldiers after the Emancipation Proclamation was stated. Another big individual impact was Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman work was important because she worked as a nurse, cook, and a spy for the Union army. She was a good spy because she knew the land well, she was a escape slave and helped numerous people escape slavery by the underground railroad. Harriet wasn't just important from her spy work, she did a lot of nursing work also she found water lilies and herbs to make stew for the sick and she saved a lot of Union soldiers with her nurse work. The next big individual African American impact was Isabella Baumfree mostly know as Sojourner Truth she was a former slave that was an abolitionist and a good public speaker on slavery and women's rights. During the civil war she was a recruiter for the 54th regiment of massachusetts she also worked as a...
Lewin, Arthur N. "Did Black Troops Fight for the South." The Black Portal 09 Jan. 2004. 14 Nov. 2005.
“Glory” depicts a period in the American Civil War emphasizing on the war modus operandi and troop movement techniques. The film focuses on the first real African-American regiment, 54th of Massachusetts, and the way these soldiers are trained and prepared to fight. Even though they acquire a new status as soon as they enlist for battle, they still face prejudices and are discriminated against by the white men. They’re not trusted to be able to fight with the same ardor and patriotism as the others and this puts them on a lower and inferior rank. Surprisingly enough, things change by the end of the movie, when Massachusetts 54 is engaged in battle and proves the efficiency and the courage of the black men who succeed in making a difference by changing the course of the war. Even though they were not victorious in the battle, they managed to show the world their value, and they brought an important victory for the entire mass of black people against the prejudices and misjudgments of their white neighbors.