Both free and enslaved African Americans participated in the Civil War. Blacks however, encountered many obstacles in the fight compared to their white counterparts. The first obstacle that Blacks encountered was the “fight to fight.” Blacks were initially rejected as soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies. Whites defined the war as a white’s man war and were not inclined to include Blacks in the fight. When a group of Ohio Blacks petitioned for the right to participate in the war Governor David Tod of Ohio stated, “Do you not know…that this is a white man’s government; that white men are able to defend the power and protect it? (McPherson 2008)” Other objections were that blacks were “too timid and would not make good soldiers,” and white soldiers wouldn’t volunteered if force to serve alongside “savage Blacks.” Furthermore, others believed that if Blacks did serve honorably they would demand for equal treatment in society. A northern congressman declared, “If you make him the instrument by which battles are fought, the means by which your victories are won…you must treat him as a victor is entitled to be treated, with all decent and becoming respect (McPherson 2008).” Confederacy enslaved Blacks were made as body servants, cooks, orderlies, and gravediggers. Also, their labor was used to build roads, erect fortifications, and transporting war supplies. During this time slave labor and punishments were intensified to increase production. Disciplinary procedures such as floggings and even death were used as “motivation,” to keep the slaves working. A Maryland owner “confessed that in August of 1861 he had murdered on of his slaves, Jack Scroggins, by whipping him to death for having escaped to Federal li... ... middle of paper ... ...bell had what seemed an inexhaustible stock of Negro plantation melodies…[and] a charming variety of Scotch ballads, which he sang with a voice of remarkable power and sweetness. Possessing the talents which he did, I felt sure, that he had only assume the character of the light-headed, happy darky and no one would suspect the coolheaded, vigilant detective, in the rollicking negro whose aim in life appeared to be to get enough to eat, and a comfortable place to toast his shins” These spies were successful in retrieving letters, plans, and hearing conversations about details of the enemy. African Americans fought for their right to participate in a war that would ultimately lead to their freedom and liberty. They refused to sit back and watch as a divided nation fought. Although, they were treated unjust and even inhumane they conquered and prevailed.
Glathaar, Joseph T. Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers. New York: The Free Press Inc., 1990.
2- Carl Schurz wrote reports called Reports on the Condition of the South, in 1865 in which he investigated the sentiments of leaders and ordinary people, whites and blacks, from the defeated South. He describes that was not safe to wear the federal uniform on the streets and soldiers of the Union were considered intruders, Republicans were considered enemies. But, even worse was the situation of freedmen in which were expected to behave as slaves for white Southerners. Schurz heard the same phrase, “You cannot make the negro work, without physical compulsion,” (Schurz) from so many different people that he concluded that this sentiment was rooted among the southern people. He related this case of a former slaveholder that suggested blacks were unfitted for freedom, “I heard a Georgia planter argue most seriously that one of his negroes had shown himself certainly unfit for freedom because he impudently refused to submit to a whipping.”
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.
Free blacks from the south were facing many situations from the whites from the Jim Crow laws. The Jim Crow laws were to prevent free blacks and other non-whites from being able to vote and have a voice within the government. Laws and statements were established such as the Grandfather Clause, which would prevent anyone whose grandfather could not vote from voting. Since the majority of blacks grandfathers did not vote and was not even free, free blacks in the south were denied the right to vote. Free blacks were now being denied any privilege that non slaves (whites) already had. Their "freedom" was only from slavery, now they realized that they were still a slave to the world. Also during this time blacks were being discriminated against and the lynchings of blacks were occurring. Blacks were becoming endangered and feared for their lives.
In 1619, slaves from Africa started being shipped to America. In the years that followed, the slave population grew and the southern states became more dependent on the slaves for their plantations. Then in the 1800s slavery began to divide America, and this became a national conflict which lead to the Civil War. Throughout history, groups in the minority have risen up to fight for their freedom. In the United States, at the time of the Civil War African Americans had to fight for their freedom. African Americans used various methods to fight for their freedom during the Civil War such as passing information and supplies to the Union Army, escaping to Union territory, and serving in the Union’s army. These actions affected the African Americans and the United States by helping the African Americans earn citizenship and abolishing slavery in the United States.
During winter months, basic huts were constructed from wood when it was available. During the civil war, most of the soldiers fought only 75 percent of the time. When they were not fighting, their day usually started at 5:00 in the morning during the summer and spring, and 6:00 in the morning during the fall and winter. Soldiers would be awakened by fifes and drums, then the first sergeant would take a roll call, and all the men sat down to eat breakfast. During the day, soldiers would be engaged in sometimes as many as five 2-hour long drill sessions on weaponry or maneuvers.
Blacks in the south were not free. Southern blacks were forced to work all day for no pay. As soon as the sunrise the slaves had to work until sunset. Blacks in the south had no choice to take a day off or not.
The plantation owners with slaves began to look into purchasing slaves quickly after the intuition of the war to avoid the price increase that they was suspected to arrive. Confederates believed that they were fighting for liberty and slavery. Slavery abolition wasn 't exactly what the Union soldiers were fighting for as it was embedded into our heads throughout the school years. As the years went on and the Union soldiers began to move south, runways attached to the Union soldiers, by the summer of 1862 the thoughts of slavery abolition have become greatly noted, especially after the Emancipation Proclamation. Many soldiers began to see the abolition of slavery as the only way out of the war, as seen in the quote "The only way to put down this rebellion is to hurt an instigator and abettors of it. Slavery must be cleansed out... The time has come to march through this infest of vipers with fire and sword, to liberate every slave”
The Reconstruction-era was an extremely rough period for the African-Americans as well as many white settlers. The African-Americans endured numerous hardships and losses as a result of the white settlers' frustrations. Although the African-Americans' losses were great during this time, the progress made throughout that period is amazing. Many of them were sent off with nothing, to live on their own and a number of them managed to meet success. Their largest success came when the Reconstruction-era ended. African-Americans fought and struggled for their freedom, rights, and equality, for years, and although it took them a long time, they accomplished what they set out to do.
African Americans; both slaves and free men; served on both sides during the revolution. The British had recruited the slaves du...
African-Americans both freed and enslaved, like many different ethnic groups joined the Continental Army for a variety of reasons including; land, patriotism, excitement, elevation of social status, and gaining personal freedom. For many enslaved African-Americans that accepted service and completed their term in the army, “…would be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress and made absolutely free…” (Lorenzo L Greene, Some Observations On The Black Regiment Of Rhode Island In The American Revolution, 1952.) Sometimes African-American slaves participated in the Continental Army as substitutes, serving their owner’s military obligation. (p. 5 Black Soldiers At Valley Forge by Joseph Becton, 1985.) As the Revolutionary
The lives of the white soldiers and the African American soldiers was very different. The African American soldiers were treated terribly in the army. The evidence on page 498 suggests that the army puts all the black volunteers in all black units lead by a white officer. Even then there was hardly any action, the African Americans usually performed the non combat duties such as building or fixing roads and guarding supplies. The African Americans were also given half the pay than what the whites were given, consequently all these things leads the Africans to protest to the army and the government. According to the textbook the white soldiers were treated much better and were put in the major battles and were promoted easier than the blacks.
Many of the African American soldiers wanted to offer their skills in the war but they could not because of their skin color they had to often have kitchen duty, cleaning beds, and
Of course, we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold, which will take more than a month to learn about. The Fight for Freedom and Rights When Afro-American’s came to America in hopes of having a better and easier way of life, and after they arrived, it was a total opposite of what they expected. The following are a couple events that took place in different locations for the fight for freedom and rights. The first was Bloody Sunday which took place in Selma, Alabama. This particular event was the march of black activists from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
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.