7. Soldiers Show
The photographs at right show Hubbard Pryor—a twenty-two-year-old fugitive slave in Tennessee—before and after his enlistment in the 44th U.S. Colored Troops in 1864. Pryor was one of about 179,000 African Americans who joined the Union army during the Civil War (about 19,000 served in the Union navy).1 Eight decades earlier in the American Revolution, about 5,000 African Americans fought with the rebelling colonists and 1,000 fought with the British.2 What did it mean to African Americans to fight in the wars of white men? What did they fight for? How did their military roles affect their self-image as men and (in some cases) as citizens? We don't have Hubbard Pryor's own words, but we do have the written testaments of other soldiers.
Discussion questions
1 U.S. National Archives, The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War, online teaching resource at www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/. 2David Omahen, Black Americans in the U.S. Military from the American Revolution to the Korean War, 2004 research project for the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, New York State Division of Military Affairs, at www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/articles/blacksMilitary/BlacksMilitaryContents.htm. 3 Robert Scott Davis, Jr., "A Soldier's Story: The Records of Hubbard Pryor, Forty-fourth United States Colored Troops," Prologue (Quarterly of the National Archives and Records Administration) 31:4 (Winter 1999), pp. 266-272. Images: Hubbard Pryor, before and after enlistment in the 44th U.S. Colored Troops, 7 April 1864. [The date of 10 October 1864 in the National Archives photograph record indicates the submission date of the military report on black recruitment with which the photographs were included.] Photograph by A. S. Morse, photographer, Department of the Cumberland. Courtesy of the National Archives, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, ca. 1775-ca. 1928, ARC Identifier #849127 & #849136. *PDF file - You will need software on your computer that allows you to read and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this software, you may download it FREE from Adobe's Web site. How did the 54th Regiment impact African Americans?This was one of the first major actions in which African American soldiers fought for the Union in the American Civil War. The courage of the soldiers in the 54th convinced many politicians and Army officers of their value, prompting the further enlistment of black soldiers.
What was the impact of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment?Legacy of 54th
Though the attack failed, the valor of the 54th Massachusetts paved the way for more than 180,000 African Americans to enlist in the Union Army and future generations of Black Service Members.
What did the 54th Massachusetts Regiment disprove regarding African Americans?Colonel Shaw readied his men on the beach. Tightly wedged together, elbow to elbow, the soldiers of the 54th began their gallant rush, determined to disprove the popular belief among whites that Negroes were an inferior race, lacking the courage and intelligence of combat-ready soldiers.
Why is the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment important to understanding the struggle for equality in the United States?The significance of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry regiment of the Union Army was that it was the first African-American regiment to play a major role in a military campaign. The attack on Fort Wagner was the first time a black regiment had been given an important role to play in U.S. military history.
|