Blacks and War
In the history of the United States, African Americans have always been discriminated against. When Africans first came to America, they were taken against their will and forced to work as laborers. They became slaves to the rich, greedy, lazy Americans. They were given no pay and often badly whipped and beaten. African Americans fought for their freedom, and up until the Civil War it was never given to them. When the Civil War began, they wanted to take part in fighting to free all slaves. Their opportunity to be soldiers and fight along side white men equally did not come easily, but eventually African Americans proved themselves able to withstand the heat of battle and fight as true American heroes. The road to freedom from slavery was a long and hard for the African Americans. In the northern states the Civil War began as a fight against the succession of the Confederate states from the Union. Abraham Lincoln, who was President at this time, wanted to save the nation by bringing the southern states back to the Union, but this "Great Emancipator" ironically did not have much intention of freeing the slaves. His greatest interest lie in preventing a war from occurring. However, even he could not stop the outbrea
Perhaps the most famous regiment to fight for their equal rights was the 54th Massachusetts (Fincher). Col. Robert Shaw, commander of this infantry, was one of the few white commanders who treated his troops with dignity and respect. He helped them fight for their rights as soldiers. The entire regiment, including white officers, began refusing pay until blacks were given the same pay that white soldiers were being given (Fincher). President Lincoln began supporting the ideas of equal treatment for both blacks and whites in April 1864. Finally, three months later, "pressured by public opinion and encouraged by many white officers of these black troops Congress enacted equal pay legislation" (The American Civil War: A Multicultural Encyclopedia 56). African Americans had won the battle in the war of equality. On July 17, 1863, the 1st Kansas Colored, a regiment said to be the first African American infantry to fight in the Civil War, fought at Honey Springs, in what is now Oklahoma (Carle).Union troops under General James Blunt ran into a strong Confederate Force under General Douglas Cooper.... The 1st Kansas, which had held the center of the Union line, advanced to within fifty paces of the Confederate line and exchanged fire for some twenty minutes until Confederates broke and ran (History of African-Americans in the Civil War). The regiment had shown their ability to hold off the Confederates attacks. Later General Blunt commented that the African Americans made better soldiers than some of the white troops he had commanded. African Americans had proved themselves to be equal to the whites in their ability to fight. ...they stormed the fort, then butchered as many as three hundred of its disarmed defenders, black and white. '...deluded Negroes would run up to our men,' a rebel soldier recalled, 'fall upon their knees...scream for mercy, but were ordered to their feet and shot down' (Ward 335) Being allowed to prove themselves in an engagement was now the greatest challenge African Americans faced. Robert Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts demanded that his regiment be given the opportunity to engage in battle and not just the menial tasks assigned to them (Fincher). Many other commanders also demanded the same things for their troops. They believed their regiment had been well trained and prepared for battle. The black soldiers were eager to prove that they were not different then the white soldier in battle. With the war just beginning, ex-slaves and other African Americans wanted to get in on the action. They wanted to fight against those who had enslaved them and their families for generations. They began volunteering and trying to enlist, but everywhere they went they were rejected. "In general, white soldiers and officers believed that black men lacked the courage to fight and fight well" (History of African-Americans in the Civil War). Even some abolitionists believed putting them in the battlefield would be putting African Americans higher than they should be. They said that though blacks should not be ensla
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Approximate Word count = 2072
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
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