Chapter 11 Liberation: African Americans and the Civil War

Lincolns Aims o Objective was to preserve the Union o Reluctant at first to move against slavery o Supported compensated emancipation Black Men Volunteer and Are Rejected o Fate of the Union tied to the issue of slavery Union Policies toward Confederate Slaves o Slaves started to liberate themselves as soon as the war began o Union commanders showed more concern for slave owners than for slaves o Confederates tried to retrieve slaves through 1850 Fugitive Slave Act o Union commanders considered slaves contraband o Contraband enemy property o Blacks were displeased with Lincolns efforts for black enlistment and slavery Lincolns Initial Position o Compensated emancipation followed by their colonization o Wanted to provide funds to any state which may adopt gradual abolishment of slavery o Also sought to eliminate slavery from the border states Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation o Lincoln issued preliminary proclamation after Battle of Antietam o Freed no people, but instead gave Confederate states 100 days to rejoin the Union o Union greeted it with little enthusiasm Emancipation Proclamation o Issued January 1, 1863 o First effort to assure freedom to nearly 4 million people o Lincoln didnt include enslaved people in the 4 border states Hundreds of thousands remained in bondage Slave owners didnt recognize Lincolns authority o Made the Civil War a war to free people as well as to preserve the Union o Destroyed Confederate chances of diplomatic recognition from foreign governments Undermined slavery in the South Black Men Fight for the Union o Some union officers recruited blacks long before emancipation o General David Hunter organized the First South Carolina Volunteers o The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was organized to be a major black company o Whites tolerated black troops only because they preferred them to die than a white man o Almost all black troops had white officers o Black soldiers were paid less than white soldiers White private earned $13/month, blacks earned $10/month Demoralized black soldiers 54th Massachusetts Regiment refused to accept pay until it was equal o Black men was almost in every battle that was fought during the Civil War o Black units suffered disproportionately more casualties than white units

Battery Wagner Fortified installation on the northern tip of Morris Island, Confederate fort Colonel Shaw volunteered to lead the 5rth in a second attack on the battery Artillery fired more than 9000 shells on Wagner, but only killed 8 of 1620 defenders Confederate Reaction to Black Soldiers o Confederate leaders refused to recognize black men as legitimate soldiers o Captured blacks were abused and even murdered instead of being treated as POWs Lincoln issued General Order 11 threatening to execute southern troops to hard labor for cruelties committed to black troops o Fort Pillow Massacre Nathan Bedford Forrest slaughtered 300 black troops and their commander, William F. Bradford No one was punished Violent Opposition to Black People o New York City Draft Riot Irish Americans rioted through New York because blacks took their jobs Refugees o Thousands of blacks escaped bondage o Some followed Union armies for protection, others struck out on their own Blacks and the Confederacy o Confederacy was based on the defense of slavery and it benefited from the labor of slaves o Slave owners for first asked then compelled to contribute slave labor to the war effort o Virginia authorized impressment of 10,000 slaves between 18-45 for 60 days o 20 Nigger Law Owners who owned 20+ slaves were exempt from military service