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Did Southern Free Men of Color Fight for the Ideals of the South?
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Author: K. Wise Whitehead, West Baltimore Middle School, Baltimore City Public School System
Grade Level: Middle
Duration: 1-2 periods
Overview:
Because of the movie Glory many Americans are familiar with the contribution of African-American soldiers to the Northern war effort. But very few understand how many were involved in the conflict on the side of the Confederacy. This lesson introduces students to the variety of black soldiers participating in the Civil War, both for the North and in the Confederate Army. Resources in the lesson discuss the roles played by enslaved and free men of color in the South. We explore how the Confederate military used enslaved labor, why some free blacks volunteered in the South, and the role of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation during the war. In order to gain a perspective on the variety of black experience, sources from Louisiana and Virginia will be compared to each other, with a focus on the different social and ethnic groups involved within those two states.
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