Black Regiments in the American Civil War

Bachelor Thesis , 2014 , 58 Pages , Grade: 1,3

American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography

The central questions of my thesis are: Why did American policy delay black emancipation and official enlistment until 1863, and what were the blacks’ motives for enlisting at all?
First I will investigate the political background, starting with introducing the three main parties in the emancipation debate, and continuing with the political steps toward official enlistment and the reactions of society to these developments. Secondly, I will focus on the black soldiers’ motives, including influences that had shaped them and obstacles which prevented emancipation in practice, and finally I will explore the war’s results for the black population. Throughout the whole analysis, the thesis focuses only on black soldiers and not on black participation in the war in general.
In answering my two-part question, I will quote key scenes of the movie Glory. Even though it is not expected that the movie conveys an accurate and historically verified picture of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts, it gives a possible perspective of the blacks toward the war and will therefore be taken into consideration.
This thesis investigates black soldiers’ participation in the American Civil War and the struggles on their way to equality. It can be concluded that this war was decided by the people, because while society got lost in debating old prejudices and habits, and the president made numerous friendly overtures to the border-states in order to not offend any loyal Unionists, a big part of the population stood up and actively entered the debate. By coming in thousands, fugitive slaves forced policy to finally tackle the hushed-up issue of slavery.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
  • The Movie Glory as Inspiration
  • Composition of My Thesis
• The Debate about Freeing and Arming Slaves
  • President Lincoln and the Republican Party
  • The Split of the Democratic Party
  • The Role of Fugitive Slaves
• The Rocky Road over Emancipation to the First Black Regiments
  • The Arrival of the Fugitives
  • The Slavery Element - The Struggle with the Border States
    • Gradual Compensated Emancipation
    • The Emancipation Proclamation
  • The First Black Regiments
    • Prejudices against Black Regiments
    • The New York Draft Riots
• A New Definition of Race and Nation
  • Three Ideas of Liberty
  • The Black Soldiers' Fight for a New Nation
    • The Black Recruiter Frederick Douglass
    • Motives of Black Soldiers – Voices For and Against
    • Fifty-Fourth of Massachusetts and Assault on Fort Wagner
    • The Dispute over Equal Pay
  • The Transforming Potential of the War
• Conclusion and Outlook

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis aims to investigate the reasons behind the delayed emancipation and official enlistment of Black soldiers in the American Civil War until 1863, and to understand the motives behind their willingness to fight for a nation that had not yet granted them full rights. The work examines the political context surrounding the decision to arm Black soldiers, the obstacles faced by Black soldiers, and the potential impact of the war on the Black population.

• The political landscape surrounding emancipation and the enlistment of Black soldiers
• The motives of Black soldiers, including the influences that shaped their decisions
• The obstacles that prevented emancipation in practice
• The impact of the war on the Black population
• The construction of identity in the context of the Civil War

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The introductory chapter establishes the context of the thesis by examining the movie Glory and the questions it raises about the role of Black soldiers in the Civil War. Chapter two explores the political debates surrounding the freeing and arming of slaves, analyzing the positions of different political parties and factions. Chapter three delves into the historical context of the emancipation process, focusing on the struggle to overcome the opposition of border states and the emergence of the first Black regiments. This chapter also examines the prejudices faced by Black soldiers and the societal reactions to their enlistment, including the New York Draft Riots.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This thesis explores the themes of emancipation, Black soldiers, the American Civil War, political context, social reactions, identity construction, racial equality, and the historical narrative of Glory. The work utilizes key concepts such as identity from above, identity from below, and identity from across, as well as historical figures like Frederick Douglass and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. The focus is on analyzing the motives of Black soldiers, the challenges they faced, and the impact of the war on their position within the nation.

• College: Dresden Technical University (Institut für Nordamerikastudien)
• Grade: 1,3
• Author: B.A. Anne-Marie Schmidt (Author)
• Publication Year: 2014
• Pages: 58
• Catalog Number: V277851
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656704140
• ISBN (Book): 9783656709695
• Language: English
• Tags: Civil War, Lincoln, Blacks, South, Fort Wagner, Emacipation, Bürgerkrieg, Liberty, Freiheit, Frederick Douglass, Massachusetts, New York Draft Riots, Proclamation, Border States, Slave, Sklave, Republican, Democratic, Shaw, Equal Pay