African Americans in the Civil War

African Americans in the Civil War:

Alec Martin

            Towards the end of the war, African Americans started fighting for the union. More than 200,000 blacks fought for the Union, and 38,000 died, the majority of disease. They faced many prejudices while in the army. The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first military unit consisting of black soldiers.

This created a lot of controversy. Many people questioned if blacks could fight in a “White man’s war.” After this regime was created, thousands of other African Americans joined in on the war.  Beginning in October, approximately 180,000 African-Americans served in the U.S. Army. The union debatably could not have won if they did not recruit them. Many Blacks escaped the plantations, over 500,000, and many enlisted in the union military, greatly increasing the manpower.

The increase in manpower helped the union win the war, later leading to the victory of the union and the emancipation proclamation. That led to the 13^th amendment, which freed all slaves. They played a large role in obtaining their own equality.

Sources:

·      http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/

·      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_African_Americans_in_the_American_Civil_War

·      http://www.history.com/topics/african-american-soldiers-in-the-civil-war

·