The Black Soldiers Who Changed the Meaning of the Civil War
These troops helped transform a conflict fought initially to preserve the Union into one that destroyed slavery as well.
TL;DR
- Black Americans saw the Union army as an instrument of emancipation and full citizenship from the start of the Civil War.
- Enslaved individuals like Harry Jarvis escaped to Union lines, presaging the war becoming a fight for Black liberation.
- Legislation in the summer of 1862 allowed Black men to enlist, and about 180,000 served in the Union Army.
- Black soldiers faced discrimination, including lower pay and segregated units, and risked execution or re-enslavement if captured.
- Their service transformed the conflict from one preserving the Union to one destroying slavery and advancing the fight for citizenship.
- President Lincoln recognized their crucial role in achieving "mankind on this great consummation" and earning the right to citizenship.