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

...warned that Union officers recruiting and arming slaves were 'outlaws' and would be subject to execution as felons when President Davis gave the order. And all 'slaves captured in arms' would be handed to state officials (Allen).

African Americans had won their own war. They had successfully fought for their rights to fight along side white soldiers and had won equal rights as soldiers. Though the road to equality would last well into the next century, blacks had proven themselves to be worthy opponents in battle. They had shown the nation that they too could fight bravely and hold their ground. Because of this, their ability to fight as soldiers would never be questioned again.

These soldiers would be treated like fugitives and would face life imprisonment or the death penalty (Smith 307). However, this did not stop African Americans from flocking to enlist.

Smith, Page. Trail by Fire: A People's History of the Civil War and Reconstruction. USA: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1982.

Enlistment began, though not many enrolled to fight for the southern states. Slaves were told they would be given their freedom in return for their service. The war ended before those who had enlisted were given the opportunity to engage in a battle.

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).

'It is not too much to say that if this Massachusetts 54th had faltered had faltered when its trail came,' said the New York Tribune, 'two hundred thousand troops for whom it was a pioneer would never have put into the field......But it did not falter. It made Fort Wagner such a name for the colored race as Bunker Hill has for ninety years to the white Yankees' (Ward 248).

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.

Some common words found in the essay are:
African Americans, African American, Civil War, Robert Shaw, Bedford Forrest, William Carney, President Lincoln, african americans, Benjamin Confederate, Union Army, War Department, civil war, black soldiers, african american, history african-americans, african-americans civil, african-americans civil war, history african-americans civil, white soldiers, african american soldiers, american soldiers, union army, 54th massachusetts, american civil war, civil war multicultural,
Approximate Word count = 2397
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)