ipl-logo

White Northerners In The Civil War Essay

1865 Words8 Pages

Throughout the early years of the war, many Northerners regarded the Civil War to be a “white man’s war”, but in March of 1863, several months after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the North formed African American regiments. The Civil War was transitioning from a war solely about the preservation of the Union to one also concerning the Emancipation of the slaves. As African Americans were allowed to enlist by the federal government for the first time, the war shifted from being a struggle between white Americans over the fate of the Union to one where African Americans were active participants in the struggle for their own freedom, creating a sense of uneasiness among white Northerners as African American recruits were armed and sent into …show more content…

Behind the African American soldier in the foreground stands other African American soldiers, and the ridge in the background can be seen covered with figures, presumably other African American recruits also learning how to shoot rifles. The Union needed more soldiers, and the thousands of free African Americans and escaped slaves in the north could provide a valuable source of manpower. Indeed, “One Union official claimed that there were ‘enough contrabands in Fort Scott to fill up two companies’” (Lutz). In the lower left corner of the image a shovel and pickaxe are on the ground, reminding white Northerners that African Americans were a valuable labor force that had previously been put to use for the Union war effort in constructing ditches and fortifications and now could be used for extra firepower in battle. The pickaxe and shovel may also serve as an indication of the perceived roles white Northerners saw African Americans in, as manual laborers, and once the African American soldiers laid down their guns, a pickaxe and shovel would be ready for them to pick up again, ensuring the racist hierarchy of society stayed

Show More
Related
246 Words | 1 Pages

The key aspect discussed here is the difference and similarities between African American soldiers and white soldiers, in the Civil War. In the past African Americans were slaves in the south part of the United States. However, when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans were freed in the Confederate states. According to the American Nation book, when the war began, thousands of free African Americans volunteered to fight for the Union. In addition, the army assigned African Americans to all-black units commanded by white officers.

Read More
471 Words | 2 Pages

After African Americans had the opportunity to prove themselves in the Civil War that didn't change how the whites viewed the African Americans. Throughout the years African Americans we're slowly accepted into society it wasn't until Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and etc. came along end change the lives of all African Americans in the United States. Overall having African Americans join the Union Army helped the Union when the Civil War by giving them more opportunities and giving them a higher chance of winning the Civil

Read More
648 Words | 3 Pages

It didn’t matter what the whites did to them to try to keep them down, they would still work just as hard as the white man to be socially equal. In this journal entry, I’ve talked about Ralph Ellison, A novelist and scholar, I also wrote about one of the main building blocks of fiction, which is symbol, in the short story “Battle Royal”. This important building block of fiction is what makes this short story so empowering and moving. This story gives us an insight on how hard it was being an African American male in the 1900s.

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

An estimated 180,000 African Americans went on to serve in the army, while another 18,000 served in the navy for the Union (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-issues-emancipation-proclamation). When African Americans heard they were technically allowed to be free now, according to the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans wanted to fight on the side that would allow them to remain free even after the war ends. At the start of the war, they were not allowed to take part in the army and fight in fear that some states, like Missouri, would quickly transition over to the Confederacy's side. (http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/black-troops-in-union-blue) however, with the war not ending as quickly as the Union thought it would, the numbers of white male volunteers dropped signirficantly with the hope diminishing. At this same time, Lincoln realized that once the war was over there was no possible way that slavery could or should continue and begun to believe the phrase Frederick Douglas about how slavery was “the source and center of this gigantic rebellion.”

Read More
1465 Words | 6 Pages

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves and reigniting anger within the South and white supremacists. This, arguably, led to the serious debate over the whites’ allowance of African Americans to use their rights, and was more prominent in the South than North. While the American Civil War was occurring, this debate grew larger in size and more prominent in society and politics. Thus, the Reconstruction Era began, in which the U.S. government chose to protect African Americans and support them in using their rights. However, white hate groups did not want African Americans to have a voice in the matters of society, as they continued to see them as slaves and of lower class due to their skin tone.

Read More
1347 Words | 6 Pages

The civil war caused the South and West to be regarded as opportunistic land. Before 1860 the region between the Mississippi River and northern California had been viewed as a barren land of no importance; however, after the Civil War in 1865 there was transformation. The New South.

Read More
202 Words | 1 Pages

During the Civil War, both Northerners and Southerners debated what the status of African Americans would be after the war. With the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the passing of the 13th amendment in 1865, it became unclear as to where African Americans stood both in government and in society. While neither Northerners nor Southerners perceived enslaved African Americans and whites as equals, Northerners did recognize that African Americans were citizens not property. Northerners did recognize African Americans as citizens, whereas Southerners did not.

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

In the 1860’s, slavery was a well known thing around the whole country, where the whites were excepted as the superior race versus the black, who were treated very poorly by the. In 1862, Congress passed a law allowing African Americans to serve in the army, called the Emancipation Proclamation. The African American runaways would be especially useful as a guide or spy because of their knowledge of the south. Neraly 200,000 African Americans served in all. Although they were unexperienced and expected to lose, they still felt the need to fight for their patriotism.

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

The mid-19th century America Civil War was a terribly brutal war fought between the split halves of the U.S. The Union, on the North side of the U.S, was focused on abolishing slavery in their country, while the Confederacy, on the south side of the U.S. was more keen towards keeping slavery a part of the country. Slavery had been a major controversial topic in the years leading up to the Civil War; slowly tearing the country and its people apart. Yes, however form Yes, the Civil War was a clash between the North and South, however; it was also a campaign for western ideals. The North and South had a major conflict regarding slavery and keeping the country as a whole, and another basis of the was expanding the western side of the U.S. as well.

Read More
428 Words | 2 Pages

In the 1900’s, poetry was filled with horrid scenes of war back from World War One. In the poem “If We Must Die”, Claude Mckay uses imagery, symbols, and metaphors to emphasize the racism many of the world’s African-Americans have dealt with. Mckay’s use of imagery highlights the oppression of racism within the first few lines. He describes his people as “hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,/While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs” like they are being attacked by oppressors (2-3). This imagery shows that racism oppresses anyone who allows themselves to fall victim to the attackers, penning themselves into that inglorious spot that Mckay writes of.

Read More
1523 Words | 7 Pages

In the years of the Civil War, African Americans played an important role in contributing to the Union Army and the confederate army. A great deal of African American men volunteered to join the Union Army but only after they gained freedom did they participate in fighting the war. Besides the Union Army, there was the confederate army which consisted of slave labor whom were forced to aid the confederacy following their masters. Later in the war, the Confederacy ran short on men and were in need to supply soldiers, leaving no choice but to enlist the colored men. Not only were African American men impacted from the war, but African American women also served to supply and aid in the war.

Read More
802 Words | 4 Pages

Many African Americans have fought and died in various wars under the United States’ military. Following the Second Confiscation and Militia Act, which freed slaves whose masters were in the Confederate Army, African Americans were permitted to enlist in late 1862. However, it was not until January 1, 1863 did they serve as soldiers in the Union Army. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which states that “And I further declare and make known, that such persons [that is, African-American men] of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.” It was not until 1948 that President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order 9981 ended the segregation in the U.S. military.

Read More
606 Words | 3 Pages

The Civil War allowed the United States to make the changes necessary to unify the country. In addition, it began one of the most transitional periods in the United States’ history. This period, the Reconstruction, brought about many political, social, and economic changes, which were both beneficial and disagreeable. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the Panic of 1873, and the formation of the Ku Klux Klan are just a few examples of heavily impacting events for the United States. During the Reconstruction period there were numerous political transformations in the country.

Read More
393 Words | 2 Pages

Reconstruction era, which was followed by post-civil war, was meant to unite the states back together, reconstruct properties, and most importantly, abolish slavery in the South. Although the factors such as amendments legally freed former slaves, yet WRITE THESIS After the end of civil war in 1865, Reconstruction era, which was controlled by President Abraham Lincoln, appeared to quickly coalesce the Northern and Southern states. reconstruction amendments, which were approved between 1865 and 1870, played a huge role on giving legal rights to blacks and former slaves. 13th amendment constitutionally abolished slavery in 1865 and followed up by that, 14th and 15th amendment admitted equal citizenship, protection, and rights of suffrage despite the one’s race or skin color. Former slaves were no longer belongings of their owners.

Read More
518 Words | 3 Pages

In April of 1861, the first month of the civil war, Alfred M. Green gave a speech to encourage his fellow African Americans to “prepare to enlist” and fight for the north. The north was fighting to preserve the Union and end slavery while the opposing side, the south, fought to defend slavery. Although they could not fight in the war, and did not want to, he felt that African Americans should “strive to be admitted to the ranks.” In his speech, Green uses many different methods to persuade them to join the Union forces.

Read More

More about White Northerners In The Civil War Essay

Related Topics

Open Document