Black History Month

​The Civil War and Black History are inextricably linked.  The secession documents made it clear  secession was about slavery.  Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation for January 1, 1863 changing the Union’s war aims from Union alone to Union and Abolition.  Congress’s passing of the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States forever when it the House passed it on January 31, 1865.  In so many of these stories, we see how history happened to the African-American population during the Civil War.  This month, in honor of Black History Month, we will be looking at times when African-Americans made history happen.

​Nearly 179,000 former slaves and freedmen fought in the Union Army, making up almost 10% of the United States’ total fighting force.  Another 17,000 served with the Union Navy.  We will take a look at how regiments of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) played an important role in the battles that raged across the country.

We will look at civilians, too.  There were those who made dramatic escapes and set about taking an active role in improving the lives of others.  There were those who remained in bondage until the very end and whose stories are still being written. There were those who liberated themselves by escaping to the Union Army and taking the first step to creating a free society for African Americans.

Join us this month for stories of the African-American history-makers of the Civil War.