Civil War: The Role of Ex-Slaves after the Civil War

By: Etnest Berstein

When Abraham Lincoln took office as President on March 4, 1861 -
the United States was a divided country with slavery as the key
issue before the nation. In order to preserve the Union, it was
inevitable that something had to be done in America. The
differences of the states spiraled into America's most dreadful
and bloody civil war.

The Civil War (1861-1865)

From the very beginning of the Civil War, both northern Whites
and free Blacks came forth to join the Union Army. From the
start, both black slaves and freeman regarded the chance to
serve in the military as a method for abandoning their chains
and to prove their loyalty and worthiness to this nation. For
some unknown reasons, some black slaves, chose to remain with
their masters and aided them on the side of the Confederacy
during the Civil War. As the bloody war went on, many
slaves ran away from their masters and joined the Union Army.
Hundreds of these slaves were crossing into Union territory.
Soon the separate regiments of all black troops were formed in
the military. Other Blacks became volunteers in semi-military or
military support positions. Blacks did not have the right to
join the Civil War until August of 1862; at that time Blacks
received the endorsement of Congress to serve in the Civil war.
Uncertainty was all around, until Abraham Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and the ex-slaves
got the right to be inducted into the U.S. Union Armed Forces.
As the casualties on both sides of the war rose more soldiers
were needed. Lincoln needed success consequently the
Emancipation was aimed at getting more recruits. The
Emancipation Proclamation only freed those slaves in the states
under the jurisdiction of the Confederacy. After the
Emancipation Proclamation a door was wide-open for Blacks to
serve in the Civil War. Thousands of volunteers came from the
newly freed slaves out of the Confederate states. In order to
handle the recruitment and organization of all black regiments,
a Bureau of Colored Troops was formed on May 1, 1863, by the War
Department. These units were called the United States Colored
Troops, and people had doubts about their competency, loyalty,
and bravery; they were under close scrutiny from all areas.
White officers were commanders of these troops, and acceptance
of ex-slaves by these commanders was not always keen. Some
notable recognition came to these troops (Brown 1867, 198-205)
when the 54th All Black Infantry Regiment out of Boston
displayed fearlessness, when they charged Fort Wagner. More than
300 African-Americans died at the Fort Wagner assault. Today,
the role played by the blacks is acknowledged (Asbell 1999,
Preface and Acknowledgement): ......Those black men who wore
the uniform of their country some of whom died for it are
entitled to be recognized for their commitment. The battles that
were fought and the hardships endured were the same regardless
of skin color. When the bugle sounded the charge and the bullets
flew, the color of ones skin made no difference; all fought for
the same cause (Preface and Acknowledgements). By the end
of the Civil War (McPherson 1965, 128), more than 186,000 black
men had served in the U. S. Armed Forces, and over 38,000 died
in an attempt to be part of America's inclusive freedom. The
meritorious Congressional Medals of Honor was awarded to
twenty-four black soldiers. About 360,000 troops died in the
war, on the Union side. On the Confederate side, around 260,000
troops died. The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865.

The Reconstruction (1865-1877)

The whole of America, including the South, had to be rebuilt,
and, despite the South's hostile resistance, African-Americans
were slowly and gradually becoming part of this nation.
The long awaited citizenship for Blacks was
confirmed in 1868, by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. By
1870, the 15th Amendment was passed to the Constitution, which
gave blacks the right to vote. The Reconstruction, although
short-lived, showed the first real attempts of inclusive freedom
for African-Americans. Gains were taking place: Citizenship,
Voting, Education, and Politics.

Role of Ex-Slaves after the End of Civil War

There are a large number of African
Americans who played a significant role in the post civil war
era, making great contributions at various levels of society
despite major hurdles. Out of these heroes George Washington
Carver and Ida Wells-Barnett seem to be great role models for
all times.

George Washington Carver (1860-1943)

Carver was one of the best-known agricultural scientists of his
generation; he was born into slavery near Diamond Grove,
Missouri. Carver and his mother were kidnapped by slave raiders,
when he was a six-week old infant, but his owner allegedly
ransomed him back with a $300 prize racehorse. While still a boy
although Carver had to work and live all by himself, he managed
to finish high school and became the first African American
student to enroll at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. He also
put himself through the Iowa Agricultural College by working as
a janitor, earning a B.S. in 1894 and an M.S. in 1896 in
agricultural science. After completing his Masters, Carver
joined Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute to direct
Tuskegee's agricultural research department, until he died in
1943.

At Tuskegee, Carver concentrated on convincing
Southern farmers to add other crops and curtail their reliance
on cotton that had ruined the soil, producing more poor crops.
The key according to him was in diversifying by planting sweet
potatoes and peas. To make these crops more profitable Carver
did extensive research and produced more than 300 derivative
products from the peanut and 118 from the sweet potato. In 1923
Carver won the Spin Garn Award, the highest annual prize given
by the National Association for Colored People. In 1938 he took
$30,000-- his entire life's savings--and founded the George
Washington Carver Foundation to continue his work after his
death. After his death in 1943 the rest of his estate went to
the foundation. He was buried on the Tuskegee campus.


Ida Wells-Barnett 1862-1931

Ida Wells was born to a slave cook and a slave carpenter. She was a prominent anti-lynching leader, suffragist, journalist, and speaker. At 16
after the death of her parents, she took over the raising of her
siblings. With the support of the black community, Wells
attended Rust College and after graduation she became a teacher.

In May 1884 Wells won a case against a railroad for
forcefully removing her from a segregated ladies' coach. This
proved to be the catalyst needed in making her more militant.
Ida was part owner and editor of the Memphis Free Speech and
Headlight; most of her time was spent in writing about the
deprived conditions of black children in local schools. She
became diligent in her anti lynching crusade after the 1892
lynching of three of her friends. She wrote "Southern Horrors:
Lynch Law in All Its Phases". In 1893 Wells went to the Chicago
World's Fair with her fight for equality, she stayed in Chicago
and helped in the growth of numerous black female and reform
organizations.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

His specialty subject is philosophy essays and narrative essays

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