While most African-American soldiers drafted into the Union Army were discriminated against and confined to colored units, they still played a major role
6 Black Heroes of the Civil War
Whether as soldiers, spies, recruiters or medical personnel, African Americans made crucial contributions to the Union cause.
Author:
Whether as soldiers, spies, recruiters or medical personnel, African Americans made crucial contributions to the Union cause.
As America’s Civil War raged, with the enslavement of millions of people hanging in the balance, African Americans didn’t just sit on the sidelines. Whether enslaved, escaped or born free, many sought to actively affect the outcome.
From fighting on bloody battlefields to espionage behind enemy lines; from daring escapes to political maneuvering; from saving wounded soldiers to teaching them how to read, these six African Americans fought courageously to abolish slavery and discrimination. In their own way, each changed the course of American history.
organizations and public works that represented racial equality. the discussion is about an hour. [applause] good evening. thanks to tom for inviting me to speak here tonight. and also i would like to thank sabrina mancy doing a good job on my visit. and i want to talk about what i try to do in this book that i wrote. and i m going to talk about it basically in terms of two threads. first, this book is designed to offer an updated history of washington, d.c., during the civil war reconstruction that highlights the significance of the national capital for understanding reconstruction writ large. and second, the book makes the importance of the debate over the meaning of equality in a period after slave emancipation. and i want to say something about my approach. i m interested in a relationship between people and government, policy and the law. this isn t strictly social or political history. it s not legal history but it s kind of an eclectic combination of all three. the f