History Essay

Submitted By kailynevans0817
Words: 376
Pages: 2

“They will be armed”
There was once a time where African Americans were not allowed to enlist in the army, vote, or do anything that they were forbidden to do. This was also when the civil war in the United States began, from 1861-1865 the country was in war. The United States was a divided country when it came to the topic of segregation and what was fair. African Americans being allowed into combat during the Civil War became a technique for the Union and a down fall for the Confederate. African Americans were at first looked down upon by both the Union army as well as the Confederate army, but once the Union captured a few runaway slaves and refused to return them things changed. Congress passed the First Confiscation Act, which allowed seizure of slaves from any part of the confederacy. Once this act was passed runaway slaves flocked to the Union armies, looking for freedom from their masters. The white southerners hated this because it caused them to have to perform their own tasks rather than have their slaves do it for them. Following this, the congress then passed the Second Confiscation Act, allowing the seizure of all confederate property, including the slaves of disloyal masters. Congress also approved the Militia Act which repealed a law from 1792, barring blacks from serving in the army. This made it possible for African Americans to enlist in the army.
In today’s world, this would be extremely against any civil liberties and would be breaking