Although it was a huge stepping stone and many accomplishments came from it, being an African American in the military was no easy task. It took a lot of strength and courage to take all the abuse and disrespect while simply trying to fight for ones’ country. But all the brave efforts of these African Americans are not forgotten. There has never been a war fought by the United States whereby black soldiers were not an integral part. Early on, blacks wanted to fight as it gave them a real sense of purpose. Soldiers were held in high esteem and it was considered an honor to fight for your country. During the Vietnam War, blacks made up 12.6 percent of the soldiers that fought. During the times in Vietnam, U.S. involvement took a turn for the worse because of the conflicts of the civil rights movement. The way the blacks were treated while on base by other soldiers was considered as “racism” and African Americans began to charge and accuse many of that act. With this going on, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. began to fight even harder for the respect of blacks. He described the Vietnam War and conflicts as “a white man’s war, a black man’s fight.” The accomplishments that blacks received in wars as well as their valiant efforts encouraged many other African Americans to take a stand for freedom along with equality as time passed. Not only did Dr. King help correct the abuse against black soldiers in the war, but he also led many civil rights marches, spoke and comforted his people during the Civil Rights movement, and fought for freedom until the day he died. People like Dr. King helped pave the way for others to get involved. For instance, his wife Coretta Scott King, Joseph Lowery, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Al Sharpton are just a few ... ... middle of paper ... ...merican in the Military. New York City, New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2010. (accessed March 19, 2014). Rozwena, Peter. Slaves and Freedmen in Civil War. Louisiana. Baton, Rouge: 1976. (accessed March 5, 2014). Rozwena, Edwina. Slavery as the cause of the Civil War. D.C: Heath and Company, 1963. (accessed March 5, 2014). Schwalm, Leslie A. Surviving Wartime Emancipation: African Americans and the Cost of Civil War. Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics 39, no. 1 (Spring2011 2011): 21-27. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 5, 2014). Smith, Gene Allen. The Slaves' Gamble: Choosing Sides in the War of 1812. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2013. (accessed March 5, 2014). Teaching With Documents: The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War. National Archives. http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/ (accessed March 5, 2014).
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.
Marable, Manning. Race, Reform, and Rebellion: The Second Reconstruction and Beyond in Black America, 1945-2006. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
World War II." Civil Rights for Minorities During and After World War II. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. .
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.
“The World War II experience was a watershed for African Americans. Jim Crow remained intact, but the ideological bases of white supremacy and colonialism were undermined by the horrors of the Holocaust” (Earle 87). The war experience gave about one million blacks the opportunity to fight racism in Europe and Asia, a fact that black veterans would remember during the struggle against racism at home after the war. Perhaps just as important, almost ten times that many white Americans witnessed the patriotic service of black Americans. Many of them would object to the continued denial of civil rights to the men and women beside whom they had fought. After World War II the momentum for racial change continued. Black soldiers returned home with determination to have full civil rights. President Harry Truman ordered the final desegregation of the armed forces in 1948.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a fine example of many who had fought for equality between blacks and whites as well as many who had sought opportunity for blacks in those times, and had a high number of achievements and awards during their time in the military.
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 estimated about 190,000 African Americans fought in the Civil War. Estimated about 38,000 of them died. Many of them believing that if they fought with the Union or Confederate, they would become equal to the white's. Even some of the African Americans were treated better than some of the white's. The reason why some of the African Americans were treated better than some of the white's was because if a white soldier didn't do his job or didn't follow orders, they would put a African American in their place, of course if that African American had followed orders in the past.
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...
"Causes Of The Civil War." History Net: Where History Comes Alive. 12 Dec. 2013 .
...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.
Yes, slavery was the cause of the Civil War, half of the country thought it was wrong, and the other half just could not let it go or continue. The war was fought overall in different places, and the monetary and property loss cannot be calculated. Arguments about the causes and consequences of the Civil War, as well as the reasons for Northern victory, will continue as long as there are historians to wield the pen ? which is, perhaps even for this bloody conflict, mightier than the sword (Oates 388). The Civil War was a great waste in terms of human life and possible accomplishment and should be considered shameful. Before its first centennial, tragedy struck a new country and altered it for an eternity. It will never be forgotten, but adversity builds strength and the United States of America is now a much stronger nation (Oates 388).
Northup, Solomon, Sue L. Eakin, and Joseph Logsdon. Twelve years a slave. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1968. Print.
It is common knowledge that the American Civil War provided freedom and certain civil rights, including to right to vote, to the African-American population of the nineteenth-century. What is not generally known, and only very rarely acknowledged, is that after freeing the slaves held in the Southeastern portion of the U.S., the federal government abandoned these same African-Americans at the end of the Reconstruction period.2
Americans needed Martin Luther King Jr., but above all, America needed him. With his constant pursuit for equality, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped bridge the gap between African Americans and whites. His nonviolent methods of protest helped create an awareness of the inequalities that African Americans had to endure. King helped America realize that it needed to change in order to truly prosper. Martin Luther King had the best philosophy for riding America of segregation, he used nonviolent methods to get Americans to realize that segregation needed to be stopped and he united both African Americans and whites together to fight for equality and a better nation.