African Americans in the Civil 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 outbreak
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). Some soldiers were treated well and trained well, but most were brutalized and discriminated against. Often some of the soldiers would say they were treated no better than the slaves they were fighting to free. Black soldiers were assigned the more menial tasks even on the battlefield (Ward 253). They were often subject to harsh whippings if commands were not followed. They received inferior equipment and medical care. Nearly twice as many African Americans died of diseases on the battlefield then the white soldiers (Ward 253). African American soldiers continued fighting for other rights. Besides the issue of equal pay, they were offended at the refusal to commission black officers. They began and continued pressuring the government, until finally the War Department gave in to their relentless badgering. They reversed their policy and began commissioning the outstanding black soldiers as officers (Smith 326). The blacks had won yet another battle. 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. 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. In the Battle of Market Heights, Virgina, the African-American division of the Eighteenth Corps, charged up the slopes for an hour-long engagement, after having been pinned down for 30 minutes. During this encounter the division lost many men, but they continued the battle. Of the seventeen men to receive Congressional Medals of Honor, fourteen of them received the honor as a result of their courage in the Battle of Market Heights (History of African-Americans in the Civil War). This battle once again the determination, bravery, and passion of the African American troops. Enrollment began in September of 1862 (Allen 225). Thousands of black men enlisted. They would be commanded, led, and trained by all white officers. There were not to be any black officers commissioned and all African American soldiers were to be regarded as laborers. They would receive less pay than a white soldier. Instead of $13 plus clothing expenses, they would only receive $10 without clothing expenses (The American Civil War: A Multicultural Encyclopedia 55).
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Approximate Word count = 2567
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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