There are many significant points throughout history that many regard as pivotal, the Renaissance, the Age of Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution are some. For Americans it is often the founding of the first colonies in the east and the fight for independence in the 1700s, however, the most significant event for many Americans today is the American Civil War, beginning in 1861 and ending in 1865. For the two sides of the War, the Union North and the Confederate South, the goals were rather different. For the Union army it was about quelling rebellion and preventing the succession of states from the United States; for the Southern forces it was about limiting federal government in their states, they sought succession and, finally, they wanted to keep the African American slaves that were the bulk of their workforces and key to their economy. That said, the American Civil War is significant to African Americans in some very unique and special ways; it may lead to the freeing to all slaves in the United States, it may change the way that white Americans might perceive black people and if they were freed it would give hope to the slave population that there was a brighter future for their children and the generations that would come after.
Slavery has been and remains one of the darkest industries and shameful practices that were ever tolerated in the United States. There are very few people who would ever justify or support the use of slaves in the American South; most are horrified by the idea, let alone the actual practice. However, at the time of the Civil War people felt differently. It is a misrepresentation to say that the South hated and abused their slaves and that the North greeted them with open arms. This is simply not true, while many northerners were opposed to the institution of slavery, it did not mean that they felt equality with their African American counterparts. Preventing the loss of states of the union was the major motivator in leading to the Civil War (Woodland 1). However, there are many who believe that the greatest aspect is how the war changed the lives and experiences of black people in the United States.
When the Civil War began most people did not believe this would be an actual “war.” They imagined some rebellion, maybe some rioting and some small skirmishes, but not 4 long years of war. However, as the Civil War began to prove itself to be a bloody war with a great loss of life; it became necessary for both sides to consider individuals who would not normally be considered. Black troops were a surprising inclusion in the Union Army. While these men fought under the same conditions as their white counterparts, they had less provisions and were still not considered equal (The History Channel 1).Troops were never racially mixed, except to for the commanding offices; black troops were lead by white officers. The Civil War had a huge impact on African Americans and the laws of the United States.
Freedom: What is freedom? Freedom is a rather relative term; many people may define it differently. However, in the most basic terms, freedom means individual autonomy. It means that one can make their own choices and navigate one’s own future; your right to your life cannot be legally taken from you. Slavery, of course is the antithesis of freedom. For so many African Americans those rights were denied and their lives disregarded. When the Civil War began it was and would be an integral part in ending slavery. For these men it was an opportunity to fight for their freedom; if the union won the Civil War, then slavery as a market and institution would be over (The History Channel 1). This is probably the greatest and most significant influence the Civil War had on African American lives. In rather confusing twist, African Americans did not just serve in the Union Army. There were black troops amidst the Confederate army as well. However, these men did not “volunteer,” most were forced into service.
Changing Perceptions: The Civil War forces, at first, used the black soldiers for the more menial of jobs. They were responsible for cooking, labor and maintenance; they were not directly expected to fight in the war. However, as the war became harsher and the numbers of dead continued to rise, enlisting the black soldiers became necessary. However, after the soldiers began to participate in the fighting it changed the way that white Americans perceived the African American soldiers. Many, at the time, believed that black people were not as competent or as evolved as white people and could not really be expected to do complex tasks. To the Northern Armies they were needed but not as valued as traditional white troops; in some ways they were simply “slaves” of the military company. However, many African American soldiers proved to be accurate shots, good soldiers and successful in the aiding of winning battles; their white commanders were impressed and it changed their opinion of African American abilities (Woodland 1). This reality has a distinct influence on how the future of African Americans in the era of the Civil War and those in the future would be perceived.
Hope: Hope is one of the most powerful of all feelings that human beings experience. The Civil War provided escaped slaves, free blacks in the North and those still held in chains with the hope of change to come (Downs 1). That with a Union Victory the lives, well-being and deaths of African Americans would no longer be at the discretion of someone else, no more selling of family members, no more violent punishments and a potential brighter future for all who would come after them. The Emancipation Proclamation was the defining document of that hope. The words of the proclamation had a profound influence on African Americans, obviously. Change came with the uttering of and influence of the words, "all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free” (Lincoln 1). Again, unfortunately, not everyone, including those fighting for the Union, felt that “freedom” for slaves was a very different thing from “equality.” However, all the same, it was the start of change and that can lead some to a sense of possibility and hope.
Of course the Civil War ended with a Union Victory and the Emancipation Proclamation was passed into law. The southern slaves were freed and the practice banned in all states. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the “happy ending” that many African Americans might have anticipated might occur (Downs 1). As free men and women, they found incredible bigotry and faced horrible discrimination. In some ways the financial and employment disadvantage that freedom had come with made the lives of some black people worse than when on the plantations. That is obviously not what they thought they were fighting for. To counter the freedom of the slaves in the South, the southern states enacted a number of segregation laws that are referred today as the Jim Crow laws (Woodland 1).
The Jim Crow laws established a concept of “separate, but equal.” This means that white people and black people cannot eat in the same places, sit in the same seats, use the same bathrooms, drink from the same water fountains or attend the same schools. These laws interfered with African American to gain the freedoms, respects and equality that should have been granted at the conclusion of the Civil War. These laws would remain into effect for another hundred years, until the late 1960s when the Civil Rights Movement was successful (Woodland 1). That said one of the greatest influences of the Civil War on black Americans was the reality that regardless of their blood, sweat and tears, both as enslaved individuals and in the fight to end slavery did not garner the outcomes they were seeking; like true freedom, in opportunity and acceptance from the whole of society (Downs 1).
Prior to the Civil War there were many, particularly in northern states, which sympathized and fought against slavery. These abolitionists, some northern and some southern, worked to help escaped slaves to cross into the North, where they would be free (Downs 1). As heroic as the abolitionist movement was, without the Civil War the needed changes may still not have come when they did. The influence of the Civil War on African Americans is present still today. If the Southern forces had won, slavery would not have ended, at least not in the 19th century, and we might be living in a very different modern America. A letter from Lewis Douglas, the son of famous freed slave and speaker, Frederick Douglas, wrote a letter where he detailed some his experiences in battle. What is most significant is at the end of the letter, when he states, “Remember if I die I die in a good cause. I wish we had a hundred thousand colored troops we would put an end to this war” (Douglas 1). The men who joined the war believed that what they were doing was worthwhile, worth losing their life. That said the influence of the Civil War on the minds and hearts of African American cannot be denied.
The American Civil War without question changed the fabric of the United States. Many people are uncomfortable with the subject of slavery, because they know that there is simply no justifying the practice and it would be preferred to forget such a time ever existed. That is really not a progressive solution. History must be remembered. The Civil War had huge influences on the lives of African Americans, those freed, those on the run and those still under the boots of their oppressors, they would experience great change. An end to slavery, the guarantee of freedom and the first steps to the equality that has always been desired is what they were fighting for. In fairness, many modern experts and historians argue that racism, bigotry and discrimination still exists today and is all too often a part of the experiences of African Americans today. It is true that racism has not been eradicated and true equality among races, religions and genders is yet to be fully achieved; but if nothing else the Civil War was the first and most beneficial influences on change for African Americans in the United States and their participation in those fights, the effort to end an unethical and amoral practice of slavery and to change the lives of African Americans forever is an incredibly pivotal and immense influence.
WORK CITED
Douglas, Lewis. “I Hope to Fall With My Face to the Foe.”The Battle of Fort Wagner. (1863): 1.
Web. <http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6215>.
Downs, Jim. “The Future of Civil War Era Studies: Race.” Journal of the Civil War Era.” (2012):
1. Web. <http://journalofthecivilwarera.org/forum-the-future-of-civil-war-era-studies/the-future-of-civil-war-era-studies-race/>.
Lincoln, Abraham.”The Emancipation Proclamation.” Civil War Trust. (1863): 1. Web.
<http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/emancipation.html>.
Woodland, Jill. “How did Participation in America's Wars affect Black Americans?” American
Studies Today Organization. (2011): 1. Web. <http://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/Woodland.htm>.
The History Channel. “Black Civil War Soldiers.” The History Channel. (2016): 1. Web.
<http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/black-civil-war-soldiers>.
