Effects Of The Civil War On African American Soldiers

African Americans fought for their freedom at every opportunity during the hundreds of years

of enslavement. They fought by running away and seeking freedom in northern territories and

they fought for their freedom during the War for Independence. But no time in history was the

fight more organized, more determined, and more sacrificial than their fight for freedom during

and after the Civil War.

Since the time of the Declaration of Independence when African Americans realized that if all

men were created equal, then if applied to them as well, their fight for freedom was a part of

every waking moment. African Americans took the opportunity to escape the minute the states

began to secede from the Union. White
landowners were so engrossed in their own futures

that many opportunities arose for escape for slaves to the north. Even though the

Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln did not abolish freedom, it did free the slaves in

the rebellious states. Also, Union Generals considered slaves captured as the result of victories

to be the spoils of war and they freed them.

African Americans also fought for the freedom as soldiers.
They had to actually fight for the

right to serve as soldiers. They did this because African Americans knew before the Northern

and Southern whites that the Civil War was being fought over slavery. They needed the Union

to win the war and they felt that, of the two sides, they would fare better under a Union

government than a Confederate government. However, even as they were “allowed” to fight for

their freedom, they were treated as inferiors and were even paid less because they were black.

The tenacity of the African American soldiers and their total dedication to their causes earned

them the reluctant respect of the white officers and soldiers. The 54th Regiment was an

excellent example of a group of black soldiers who served with distinction and proved that they

were as courageous as any white regiment. The 54th Regiment also refused to accept payment

until they were paid the same as the white soldier. The refusal spoke volumes about how

African American’s were tired of inequality based on the color of their skin. This was

reminiscent of the Revolutionary War, when both the British and Colonial Armies
offered

freedom to African Americans who volunteered to be soldiers. Those soldiers were fighting for

their freedom, not for their side’s causes. During the Civil War, the freedom of slaves was put

on the table up front as a punishment for the rebelling states. It was not a perfect start, but it

gave African American’s something for which to fight. The Confederate Army did not treat the

black soldiers in the same manner as the white soldiers.
Black soldiers caught were not treated

as prisoners of war, they were treated as rebellious slaves and sent back to slave owners or

were executed. This only made the black soldiers fight harder since they really had more to

lose if they lost a battle and were captured.

So the Civil War was over and the Union was preserved. The fight of the African American

to be free was over and their troubles would soon be part of the past. It did not take long for

the dreams to be crushed. Post Civil War reconstruction in which African Americans had a role

to play in all parts of society did not last very long. Once the southern states were forgiven by

their northern counterparts, it was business as usual in the South. Even with the Civil Rights

Act, the 13th , 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution, African Americans were held down

to the maximum extent possible. The South used racial etiquette, sharecropping, black codes,

secret societies, convict lease system, and lynch mobs to keep the black man in his place. At

every opportunity, African Americans fought back and were able to organize and fight for
their

civil rights. For every white organization such as the Farmers Alliance, African Americans

formed one of their own. When the Jim Crow laws tried to ensure than African

Americans remained in the back of the bus, in segregated schools, and out of “whites only”

restaurants, African Americans fought back by boycotting the businesses and public

transportation. Boycotting proved to be quite effective in making an economic case for giving

blacks the rights that they deserved. Even though every step forward seemed to be followed

by two steps backward, African Americans have never given up their fight for freedom and

equality. It continues to this day and although discrimination is now more subtle it is no less

insidious.