Yesterday, we discussed the Emancipation Proclamation. Since it only freed slaves in border states in hopes of strengthening the Union army, some believe that it is not truly an important document. We also read a blog post about this idea, in which the author discussed the different views. I agree that the document was not as important as some think, because it only freed some slaves. We also read the Gettysburg Address, which called soldiers to continue fighting for rights for all, even though the battle was difficult. Both documents demonstrated President Lincoln's goal of "Liberty to all."
Today, we analyzed a sculpture of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which commemorated the first African-American only regiment in the Civil War. After the Emancipation Proclamation, 186,000 African-American soldiers enlisted over the remainder of the war, accounting for the numbers the Union needed. The 54th Regiment attempted to capture Fort Wagner in the Charleston Harbor under the leadership of General Shaw. Though they failed at the hand-to-hand combat, it brought a new view of African-American soldiers and encouraged other African-American soldiers to enlist. As can be seen by these two documents, both greatly affected the Civil War.
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