African Americans During The Civil War Research Paper

African Americans and The Civil War
The Civil War was a hard time for African American Soldiers and their families. Although it is usually thought of as “the war on slavery,” that does not mean that the union treated the newly freed slaves equally. One hundred and eighty thousand African Americans in some 163 units served the Union Army. They served and gave their lives for our country just as the white soldiers had. However, they were not nearly treated the same. African Americans faced great struggle when trying to participate in the war. It would be believed that to win a war, as many men as possible would be desired. This was not the case. The disrespect towards African Americans kept them unarmed. The three biggest struggles that African …show more content…
They faced the struggles of safety, disease, and equal rights. The great influx of former slaves into the Union was more than expected. The Union did not have enough resources to adequately take care of these new residence. Disease and mal nutrition reeked havoc on these families. The tight packed bodies and unsanitary conditions acted as a breeding ground for bacteria. As the war progressed things only began to get worse. The Union’s troops were dwindling and the integration of black troops into the military was not liked, but necessary. The government offered benefits to the families of soldiers in order to encourage enlistment. For many people however, these benefits never became realities. To receive benefits, you had to prove your relationship by either a birth certificate or a marriage license. Birth Certificates were hard to come by for many former slave children and in America is was still illegal for African Americans to marry. So, proving their relationships was difficult and therefore, proving that they need benefits was even harder (Reid 376). Many African American men were forced to leave their families with just hope that the government would keep their word. Many had to be left in the care of their old owners due to not having anywhere else to go (Reid 377). Many women left in these situations were stolen from and taken advantage of. Some were even beaten or killed. …show more content…
Although they were freed, this did not relieve them of the humility and unjust treatment they were given as slaves. Many would argue that there was little difference between the treatment of African American slaves and African American contrabands and troops. Fighting for the United States should be honorable and rewarding, but that is not what the African Americans received for their