When the Civil war was at its high point Union had to force white men into their armies. At this point, there was a group of African Americans that were eager to enlist in the Union Army. This group was anxious to join the fight against slavery. They believed that by joining the military service, it would allow them to prove their right to equality. Black leader of this group, Frederick Douglas, spoke for free blacks in the North and the slaves in the South, “Would to God you would let us do something. We lack nothing by your consent. We are ready and would go, but you won’t let us go”.
Soon after, the 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment began recruiting. A twenty-six-year-old seaman, James Henry Gooding, enlisted. He began documenting his experiences; theses were published by his hometown newspaper. In his letters he noted that black soldiers earned less then white soldiers. Gooding also saw the military service as a great opportunity to fight against slavery and white prejudice and that freedom of slavery depended on black men from the North. The 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment was to fight for their liberty and equality.
Discrimination continued within the Union army. To start, black soldiers were assigned to manual labor rather than fighting. But as Gooding said, their motto was to work faithfully. Other issues concerned Gooding, such as the refusal of the 54th to pay blacks the same as whites. Therefore, Gooding wrote to President Lincoln and explained if they were soldiers or laborers and so why couldn’t they get paid as Soldiers. The congress soon after equalized the pay of black and white soldiers.
Slaves greeted black soldiers as heroes. Even though blacks remained second class soldiers, being in the army proved to be a degradation and dependency of slavery. Black veterans came from war with new confidence and proud of their contributions. Some black veterans became teachers and other politicians.
Q1: What was the significance of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment? How successful was it during the Civil War?
Q2: What were the Pros and Cons of the recruitment of black soldiers in the Union?
