Civil War Dbq

Before WORLD WAR I, military service represented a source of black pride. Black educators, clergymen, and the press frequently referred to Negro heroes of America’s past wars. After the Civil War, the U.S, Army maintained four regular Negro regiments –the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry. These units included veterans of the civil war and the frontier Indian fighting regiments. Retired sergeants often became respected, conservative leaders in their communities. This history set a foundation for black support and involvement in America’s future wars.

When word of African Americans enlisting in the Union Army got out, the Confederate Army lashed out many threats. They

For many African Americans, the war offered an opportunity to get out of the cycle of crushing rural poverty. Black joined the military in large numbers, escaping a decade of Depression and tenant farming in the South and Midwest. Yet, like the rest of America in the 1940s, the armed forces were segregated. The Army accepted black enlistees but created separate black infantry regiments and assigned white commanders to them. Of the more than 2.5 million African Americans who registered for the draft in WWII, about 900,000 served in the Army. But about only 50,000 African Americans were allowed to serve in combat.

The federal government placed many restrictions and discriminatory actions on the black troops. At the beginning of the Civil War, African Americans were not allowed to serve in the U.S. military. By the summer of 1862 it was clear that additional troops were needed. To meet the need, Congress passed two bills that allowed the participation of black soldiers in the Union Army. The Government established segregated units called The Bureau of Colored Troops. The measure lacked popular support and the U.S. Army did not begin recruiting black soldiers until 1863.

The Civil War was one of America’s most brutal battles in history. Majority of which being white, male soldiers. Over the years, many historians have argued the actual involvement of blacks during the civil war era. Many claiming that they were doing nothing more than assisting the actual, white soldiers in combat such as, nurses, and wagon drivers, not actually picking up the gun and shooting alongside in battle. Most people look over the fact that almost ten percent, or 180,000, of the Union army were African American. Though a small fraction of the amount of total soldiers during the war, their involvement is still significant. These soldiers recruited and voluntarily, committing the same acts of bravery of any Caucasian solider, due to the prejudice against them, they were pushed to the back burner and treated with disrespect, virtually diminishing their extensive courageous acts. Nevertheless these soldiers made an impact in world changing war.

Slavery was a complicated issue for Northern whites. As pointed out by historian Kevin M. Schultz (2011), Northerners were generally in agreement that slavery was wrong, yet they were very uneasy with the idea of creating a large, free black population in the U.S. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was a step toward that idea. The Proclamation did not free all slaves, since the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware were exempted, as were Tennessee and areas of Virginia and Louisiana already under Union occupation (Schultz, 2011, p. 265). An important provision, however, was that black Americans would now be allowed to join the military. In the two years following the Emancipation Proclamation, 180,000 black men enlisted (Schultz, p. 265). They were poorly treated but eager to fight for a cause in which they had a high stake. Their numbers and their passion for the cause made African-American soldiers a powerful asset to the Union.

As freed black men escaped their captivity as being enslaved in the South, racial equality in society was not reciprocated by white Americans. Even though African Americans were away from the constraints of slavery, they held a lower social status and were racially inferior by their community. Racial hierarchies were not only imposed in society but also in the military during the Civil War. As the Civil War broke out between the Union and the Confederate, President Lincoln believed that an all-white army had the capability of fighting off the Confederate units and that this war would be swift. The war progressed and the Union soon realized that they needed more reinforcements which would come from the freed black men in the North. During the Civil War, black soldiers would challenge and reinforce the existing racial hierarchies because the dispute of manhood amongst races would be enforce by violence that deterred black men from challenging their social status.

foreign policy during the period of 1945-1963 in combating Communist aggression in Europe and Asia? Use the Documents and your knowledge of the period to construct your response.

The North and South felt like it was necessary because they couldn’t come up with a civil solution. After the civil war in 1865 reconstruction was the national effort to reintegrate the north and south so they could work together as one nation without slavery.

Army (Civil War was a ground war – many black soldiers fought tirelessly/vigorously in the fields/open battlefields)

African Americans were a very important addition to the American Civil War such as fighting and spying for both the north and the south sides. The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States between the North and South states. The war was from 1861-1865 and was because the South wanted to establish itself as a separate nation. The northern states were called the Union and the southern states were called the Confederate. Between the north and south states were the Border States, which did not belong to either of the sides. The Border States included Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri. In the north, slavery did not exist but the south was the opposite. In the war, the north and south states fought against each other while the Border States were neutral. Before the war and during the war, African Americans were treated very unfairly compared to white people. This essay will examine how African Americans were treated before, during and after the Civil War.

They want to take part in the war, get involve, and do anything they can to improve their future. However, racism was still high on the Union side, many African American enlisted in the army were assigned to building duty and cooking duty. The Army also paid them much less than white soldiers. The first colored regiment was created in Michigan but they had to wait two years and four months before they could see any combat, because how controversial it was to assemble an all-black regiment and President Lincoln was trying to save the Union and not to free slaves. But many African Americans were still eager to fight for what they believe. When the U.S. War department organizes a black regiment, blacks already proved their effectiveness in battle. “By this time, there had been a dramatic change in the North’s attitude toward black soldiers… Black troops had also proved their mettle at Fort Wagner and in several other engagements, causing many white soldiers, like Lt. John Buchanan, to change their perception of black soldiers.” (Smith, 506) Even though blacks fought well during the Civil War, and have changed many perceptions of black. Racism was still among both north and south after the war ended, according to Kevin Hardwick’s “Your Old Father Abe Lincoln Is Dead and Damned”, white men got into an argument with a black soldier because the black soldier did not

     The African American saw only limited military service, the negative attitude toward enlisting black men came from master unwilling to give up their servants or from the fear of putting guns in the hands of people who were not free. South Carolina and Georgia, both heavily populated by African Americans, refused to legalize slave enlistments. When General Washington took command of the army, white colonists decided that not only should no black slaves or freemen be enlisted, but that those already serving in the Army should be dismissed.

Prejudice was also very evident towards African Americans in the Union forces in that they were usually assigned to labor duties, such as cleaning camps, building defenses and garrison duty, and in many cases not allowed to fight. Up until 1864, there was even a difference in pay for black soldiers, and they were not allowed to be commissioned officers.

The Union victory in the Civil War was short lived by most African American veterans. They soon realized they were not considered equal and completely free in America. They did not receive special treatment for risking their lives in the war. The war was one of unity of the nation versus emancipation. Yet, the country was still divided. The ex-confederate states showed zero respect for African American veterans, they still saw them as slaves who did not deserve freedom. African Americans were fighting against them in the war and played a major part in helping the Union win the war.