Download THE TIDE OF WAR TURNS Section 1

Class Notes 17.1b (NB p. 19)
Emancipation Proclamation –
Frederick Douglass’ support –
impact on enlistment –
Skip two lines
between each!
officers in African American regiments –
duties of black regiments –
Negro soldiers’ pay –
the 54th Massachusetts –
Fort Wagner –
dangers for African American soldiers –
Lesson 17.1b:
The
Emancipation
Proclamation
and African
American
Soldiers
Today we will
describe the role
of black soldiers in
the Civil War.
What We Already Know
By the summer
of 1862, the
Confederacy had
won most major
battles and Lee
was preparing to
invade Maryland.
What We Already Know
With every rebel victory,
the British government
grew closer to recognizing
the Confederacy and
providing it with aid.
What We Already Know
President Lincoln issued
the Emancipation
Proclamation, freeing all
slaves in Confederate
hands and forcing
Britain to withhold aid
from the South.
African American Soldiers
Before the Emancipation Proclamation, the
government had discouraged black
enlistment.
African American Soldiers
• Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation invited
African Americans to
join the Union army.
• Frederick Douglass
praised the decision,
believing that military
service by blacks would
guarantee their rights to
citizenship.
African American Soldiers
After emancipation, African Americans
rushed to join the army.
African American Soldiers
By the end of the war, 180,000 black
soldiers had fought for the Union army.
African American Soldiers
African-American soldiers fought in
all-black units led by white officers.
African American Soldiers
African Americans often were assigned the
worst jobs and paid less than white soldiers.
African American Soldiers
But African
American
soldiers
showed great
courage on the
battlefield.
The 54th Massachusetts
The most famous black
regiment of the war was the
54th Massachusetts.
The 54th Massachusetts
The regiment’s
bravery at Fort
Wagner, South
Carolina in
July 1863
made it
popular in the
North, and
increased
African
American
enlistment.
The 54th Massachusetts
Sergeant W.H. Carney
was awarded the
Medal of Honor for his
bravery in recovering
the Union colors at
Fort Wagner.
The 54th Massachusetts
African Americans faced greater
danger than whites if captured.
Southerners rarely took African
Americans as prisoners.
The 54th Massachusetts
Instead, they often executed black soldiers
or returned them to slavery.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
5. How did the 54th Massachusetts
Regiment become famous?
5. How did the 54th Massachusetts
Regiment become famous?
A. As the first African American military
unit to see combat
B. For its heroism at Fort Wagner
C. As the first American military unit to
be commanded by black officers
D. For being the largest black regiment
of the war
6. Why did African American soldiers
often face greater hardships than white
soldiers, and greater danger if captured?
Choose all that
are true!
6. Why did African American soldiers
often face greater hardships than white
soldiers, and greater danger if captured?
A. They were never allowed to
rise above the rank of
private.
B. They were often given the
worst jobs.
C. They were given less pay.
D. When captured, they were
frequently shot or returned
to slavery.
Choose all that
are true!