Racism is and has been present in the United States since the colonial era, but at several points in time throughout the history of this country, racism and its societal impact has reached a fever pitch, one of them being the Civil War. The Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865. In the context of the time, the North and South regions of the United States were at war—not literally, yet—about slavery and states’ rights. Northerners were against slavery and Southern slaveholders and secessionists wanted to break off from the Union in order to maintain slavery as an economic institution. Southerners argued that one of the state’s rights was to protect slave property anywhere in the country; Northerners argued that other rights were violated by that decision and the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.
However, it is argued that the Civil War was not fought with the intent to free the slaves. Southern states were furious over President Abraham Lincoln’s election and has shaky, implicit stance on freeing the slaves, which the South did not want. Racism was potent in the North and the South, although the North was anti-slavery. The truth of the matter is that racism was at the core of the Civil War. The War, nor Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, was not about freeing slaves out of humanity and respect, nor was it intended to create equal social conditions.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Racism in the Civil War".
To provide context, it is worth noting that President Abraham Lincoln was not an abolitionist. It was not until well into a year after the Civil War began that he began to “free” the slaves: September 22, 1862. In the early years of the war, he vowed not to impose abolitionism on the South, hoping to keep a few states loyal to the Union. He admitted to knowing that slavery was ethically, morally and legally wrong, as well as to his lack of knowledge to what should be done about slavery in the political system (Pruitt, 2012). Although Lincoln knew that slavery was wrong, it was not in his interests to provide the “social and political equality of the white and black races.” It is contradictory that Lincoln believes that blacks had the right to improve their lives and work, but opposed them having the right to vote, serve on juries, hold public office and marry whites. With the proclamation, it was only to free slaves in parts of the South where he held no authority, but as the war continued, the South would not go down without a fight. It was not until the Union victory (the North) against the Southern Confederacy at the Battle of Antietam that he ordered the slaves free with the Emancipation Proclamation, forever changing the course of the Civil War. After the limiting Emancipation Proclamation, the war between the North and the South became a battle against changing the way of life as they knew it. Each victory for the Union meant the emancipation of slaves and although racism permeated both sides of the war, there were considerably more abolitionists within the Union that called for freedom and liberty for all, regardless of race.
Despite the pervasive racism during the War, it did not deter more than 200,000 men from fighting in it. However, state militias had excluded blacks since the early 1800s. It was the hope of abolitionists like Frederick Douglass that having the opportunity to fight in the war would not only help the Union win, but would be a step in the right direction for social justice and equal rights (Black Civil War Soldiers, 2010). However, this is what the South—and Lincoln—feared: the arming of Blacks would push the border states to secede, thus preventing a Union victory. For the purpose of a Union victory, as many African Americans deemed “necessary” were authorized to be enlisted into the Union Army, per the Second Confiscation and Militia Act of 1862. The most notable unit to fight in the Civil War was the 54th Massachusetts Infantry led by Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded them. Although they performed mostly menial work and were paid in paltry sums (if paid at all), the 54th and units like it fought and gave their lives in battle. This racism did not stop in the 54th unit, but was present in many more due to a believe that blacks were less intelligent, skilled and brave than their white counterparts, which made them suited for domestic tasks like cooks, guards and scouts. By the end of the war, nearly 40,000 men had died in the war fighting for a country that did not view them as equal.
Even after the Union victory at the end of the Civil War, the Reconstruction period was no better for the black men that had survived the war, as well as the general population. The rebuilding of the south came with a set of “black codes” set forth by President Andrew Johnson to control the behavior and labor of slaves and other African Americans. These restrictive codes enraged many Northerners who then refused to seat legislators from the southern states (Reconstruction). A set of civil rights bills culminated in an organization meant for assisting freed and escaped slaves, as well as granting those born in the U.S. citizenship, but Johnson vetoed those bills. This move is what eventually broke his relationship with Congress, leading to his impeachment and the Civil Rights Act then being the first major bill to become law.
- Black Civil War Soldiers. (2010). Retrieved September 04, 2017, from http://www.history.com
- How America forgot the true history of the Civil War. (2017, August 18). Retrieved September 04, 2017, from http://theweek.com/
- Pruitt, S. (2012, September 21). 5 Things You May Not Know About Lincoln, Slavery and Emancipation. Retrieved September 04, 2017, from http://www.history.com
- Reconstruction. (2009). Retrieved September 04, 2017, from http://www.history.com
