Black Soldiers in the Civil War Due to the Federal law that restricted Blacks to join the US Army

in 1792, many people and generals protested, like David Hunter and John C. Fremont in South Carolina, who wanted to enlist emancipated slaves into the army. After years of consideration and wrestling with the idea of recruiting the slaves, in 1862, a law had passed allowing slaves to join the Union Army. At the end of the Civil War, there was 179,000 black soldiers (10 percent of the Union Army) who fought in the US Army and 19,000 who were incorporated in the Navy. There were 200,000 blacks who served in artillery and infantry and participated in other noncombat jobs, like steamboat pilots, surgeons, laborers, cooks and guards. There were 80 commissioned black officers. In total, blacks fought 440 battles, and 37,300 blacks lost their lives while serving in the Union. Black soldiers were initially paid only $10, but in 1864, Congress granted them equal pay with the whites. However, the black soldiers faced greater peril with the encounter with the Confederate Army. In 1863, they threatened to enslave the blacks, and as a result President Lincoln threatened reprisal on the Confederate Army for any mistreatment for the blacks. The blacks enlistment in war was a powerful act, showing civilization and liberal rights for black men, as society has finally accepted them. It shows a moral change and despite the slight prejudice, 16 black soldiers were awarded with a Medal of Honor after the war. Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Beecher Stowe was a strong-willed, determined abolitionist and author, helping and supporting slaves during their escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. However, she was more illustrious for the book she wrote, called Uncle Toms Cabin in the 1850s, after the Fugitive Slave Law was passed (prohibiting assistance to slaves). She wrote the book to bring awareness to others and to try to solve the problem with slaves, and to motivate other women to revolt through writing as well. It was published in 1852 and sold 5000 copies. The plot is about a resolute and magnanimous man named Uncle Tom who refuses to let whites degrade him and make him an inferior. Tom is first sold to a benevolent, caring family of whites where he befriends an independent woman named Eva and a courageous father St. Clare who is strongly against prejudice against blacks. When Eva dies, she inspires everyone in the family to treat all blacks with equality, which leads St. Clare to declare Toms freedom. However, before he could live up to his promise, he died. However, his wife fails to honor her husbands pledge, and sells Tom to an atrocious plantation owner. The immoral owner degrades Tom with much inferiority, beating him and crushing his faith in God. Tom, rebellious and unwilling to let his owner take away his individuality, continues to read the Bible. But, eventually Tom succumbs to hopelessness due to the unbearable hardships on the plantation. He encourages a slave he met, Cassey to escape, but spares himself. Continuing his faith in Jesus and protecting Cassey, he refuses to reveal to the owner where she escaped. Eventually, overseers of the owner kill Tom, and even when he is slowly deteriorating, he forgives the owner and the overseers. In the tragic end, they become humbled Christians.

The book created great arguments slavery, but there were many positive views supporting abolitionists. In 1862, Stowe met Abraham Lincoln as a result of her success. From this book, comes the term, Tomming, which represents behave like Uncle Tom, means for a black to act subservient to white authority. In Stowes later years, she became one of the founders for Hartford Art School, a part of Hartford University. She died on July 1, 1896 at eighty-five years old.