Civil+war+inventions

President Lincoln insisted that the war was not about slavery or black rights; it was a war to preserve the Union. His words were not simply aimed at the loyal southern states, however -- most white northerners were not interested in fighting to free slaves or in giving rights to black people. For this reason, the government turned away African American voluteers who rushed to enlist. Lincoln upheld the laws barring blacks from the army, proving to northern whites that their race privilege would not be threatened. Many Americans wondered why blacks couldn't fight from the beginning of the war.

Although the North said they were against slavery, they did not let slaves actively participate in the Army until the North realized that the war was going to be long and costly. Lincoln wrote the emancipation proclamation which allowed slaves to join the Army and freed all enslaved people. Once slaves were allowed to join, they joined by the thousands, many even ran away from their plantations to join the Union Army. I would like to find out more about how they escaped plantations and got to the North, and how they enlisted in the Army.

Kentucky slaves escaped by the thousands to Union Camps within the state and across the border into the free states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, where they joined black regiments. Fugitives from Maryland made their way to Washington, D.C., where slavery had been outlawed since 1862. Missouri slaves fled across the borders to Kansas and Illinois. Many people still wonder how the slaves snuck away from their plantations in the first place, and then made their way to the Northern States?

Blacks became much more involved in the ciivl war after the Emancimation Proclomation. They were encouraged to enlist by leaders such as Fredrick Doouglass, and many blacks became more involved in fighting for their freedom. The blacks earned their freedom by fighting and did not rely just on the northerners to get their freedom for them. Although they were not allowed to enlist at first, when they could they signed up by the thousands. Before slave were given the right to enlist, they were sometimes allowed to work behind the lines for the more kind white officers. The did jobs such as cooking, digging restrooms, loading supply wagons, and building forts. Women did laundry and patched torn uniforms. The officers came to reasoning that they could get more white men to fight by having these run-away slaves do some of the jobs behind the lines. Historians wonder to this day why some whites hid slaves from their owners.

In what proved the ugliest racial incident of the war, Confederate forces under General Nathan B. Forrest captured Fort Pillow on April 12, 1864, and proceeded to kill all the African American troops within; some were burned or buried alive. A Federal congressional investigating committee subsequently verified that more than 300 blacks, including women and children, had been slain after the fort surrendered. After the incident, black soldiers going into battle used the cry "Remember Fort Pillow!". People still wonder why the Confederates chose to kill the African Americans. African Americans fougt in important battles and gaind even more freedom by proving that they can fight just as well. The 54th regiment became famous by leading the assault on Ft. Wagner. Blacks fought very gallantly and they were always fighting for their life. If they were captured, Southerners would shoot them or force them back into slavery. Even to sign up as an African American was extremely brave, because being captured meant almost the same thing as being killed. Despite these major improvements, life for Southern blacks was far from perfect. "Black Codes," designed to limit the opportunities of blacks, were passed in the South during Reconstruction. The Black Codes placed taxes on free blacks who tried to pursue nonagricultural professions, restricted the abilities of blacks to rent land or own guns, and even allowed the children of "unfit" parents to be apprenticed to the old slave masters. In effect, this was a continuation of slavery. It was during this time period that anti-black groups such as the Ku Klux Klan had their start. I would like to know why whites and blacks didn't have the same rights in the first place. In addition to the perils of war faced by all Civil War soldiers, black soldiers faced additional problems stemming from racial prejudice. Racial discrimination was prevalent even in the North, and discriminatory practices permeated the U.S. military. Segregated units were formed with black enlisted men and typically commanded by white officers and black noncommissioned officers. In perhaps the most heinous known example of abuse, Confederate soldiers shot to death black Union soldiers captured at the Fort Pillow, TN, engagement of 1864. Black soldiers were initially paid $10 per month from which $3 was automatically deducted for clothing, resulting in a net pay of $7. In contrast, white soldiers received $13 per month from which no clothing allowance was drawn. Blacks had to earn their freedom and rights instead of having "unalienable rights" like white men did. Northerners, who they were fighting for, still mistreated them and got paid $6 more than them. Most of these problems were solved, but discrimination continued until over 100 years later. Life for blacks after the civil war got better, but they still didn't have the same rights as white people. They could vote, hold office, and attend school. Cities such as New Orleans were used for experimenting in a way, here they had some of the first integrated schools, streetcars, and legalized interracial marriage. I think that African Americans should have had the same rights as whites in the first place.

I thought the information that you displayed on this wiki was very accurate to what i learned in class. Very good job and i learned alot from this wiki