Men of Color, To Arms!

When the American Civil War began, African Americans saw the war as an opportunity to end slavery in the United States, but since 1792 U.S. law prohibited them from serving in the army, though the navy did not exclude them. As the war demanded more troops, change began with the Confiscation Act of 1861, which allowed U.S. forces to seize property used to support the rebellion, and the army used this law to hire previously enslaved men and women considered contraband of war, mostly as laborers, cooks, teamsters, seamstresses, and laundresses. A year later, Congress passed the Militia Act of 1862, allowing African Americans to join the army, and Black men from South Carolina, Louisiana, and Kansas immediately enlisted. After President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, the U.S. government formalized the organization of Black troops by creating the United States Colored Troops, which began recruiting on a large scale. Ultimately, over 200,000 African Americans served in the U.S. Army and Navy during the Civil War, about 10 percent of the entire U.S. military, and troops of Native American, Asian, and Latino descent as well as White officers also served in African American units. Black soldiers faced discrimination at every turn: they could not become officers, earned less money than whites, and could be put to death if captured during battle. Despite these burdens, Black troops fought with valor. African Americans in the 54th Massachusetts led a heroic but doomed attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, on July 18, 1863, and at the 1864 Battle of New Market Heights, 14 United States Colored Troops earned the Medal of Honor for their bravery. Although African Americans had proven themselves in battle, the struggle for equality did not end, and it would take almost 100 years for Black troops to fight alongside their White comrades in integrated units.

Washington, District of Columbia · United States