Civil War: The Role of Ex-Slaves After The Civil War

Civil War: The Role of Ex-Slaves After the Civil War

1860 was a critical year in the history of the United States of America. America's position as a country established on principles of freedom had been weakened by slavery. It was an election year and Abraham Lincoln (b. Feb. 12, 1809 - d. April 15, 1865) was nominated for the presidency of the United States, representing the Republican Party. The Democratic Party was divided into two wings - a Northern Wing with Stephen A. Douglas as its candidate and a Southern Wing with John C. Breckinridge as the other candidate for the presidency of the United States.

When Abraham Lincoln took office as President on March 4, 1861 - the United States was a divided country with slavery as the key issue before the nation. In order to preserve the Union, it was inevitable that something had to be done in America. The differences of the states spiraled into America's most dreadful and bloody civil war.

The Civil War (1861-1865)

From the very beginning of the Civil War, both northern Whites and free Blacks came forth to join the Union Army. From the start, both black slaves and freeman regarded the chance to serve in the military as a method for abandoning their chains and to prove their loyalty and worthiness to this nation. For some unknown reasons, some black slaves, chose to remain with their masters and aided them on the side of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

As the bloody war went on, many slaves ran away from their masters and joined the Union Army. Hundreds of these slaves were crossing into Union territory. Soon the separate regiments of all black troops were formed in the military. Other Blacks became volunteers in semi-military or military support positions. Blacks did not have the right to join the Civil War until August of 1862; at that time Blacks received the endorsement of Congress to serve in the Civil war. Uncertainty was all around, until Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and the ex-slaves got the right to be inducted into the U.S. Union Armed Forces. As the casualties on both sides of the war rose more soldiers were needed. Lincoln needed success consequently the Emancipation was aimed at getting more recruits. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed those slaves in the states under the jurisdiction of the Confederacy.

After the Emancipation Proclamation a door was wide-open for Blacks to serve in the Civil War. Thousands of volunteers came from the newly freed slaves out of the Confederate states. In order to handle the recruitment and organization of all black regiments, a Bureau of Colored Troops was formed on May 1, 1863, by the War Department. These units were called the United States Colored Troops, and people had doubts about their competency, loyalty, and bravery; they were under close scrutiny from all areas. White officers were commanders of these troops, and acceptance of ex-slaves by these commanders was not always keen. Some notable recognition came to these troops (Brown, 1867) when the 54th All Black Infantry Regiment out of Boston displayed fearlessness, when they charged Fort Wagner. More than 300 African-Americans died at the Fort Wagner assault. Today, the role played by the blacks is acknowledged (Asbell, 1999):

…Those black men who wore the uniform of their country some of whom died for it are entitled to be recognized for their commitment. The battles that were fought and the hardships endured were the same regardless of skin color. When the bugle sounded the charge and the bullets flew, the color of one's skin made no difference; all fought for the same cause (Preface and Acknowledgements).

By the end of the Civil War (McPherson, 1965), more than 186,000 black men had served in the U. S. Armed Forces, and over 38,000 died in an attempt to be part of America's inclusive freedom. The meritorious Congressional Medals of Honor was awarded to twenty-four black soldiers. About 360,000 troops died in the war, on the Union side. On the Confederate side, around 260,000 troops died. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865.

The Reconstruction (1865-1877)

The whole of America, including the South, had to be rebuilt, and, despite the South's hostile resistance, African-Americans were slowly and gradually becoming part of this nation. The long awaited citizenship for Blacks was confirmed in 1868, by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. By 1870, the 15th Amendment was passed to the Constitution, which gave blacks the right to vote.

The Reconstruction, although short-lived, showed the first real attempts of inclusive freedom for African-Americans. Gains