I think one of the greatest contributions African –Americans have made to the U.S. is militarily. Whether freemen or slaves, blacks have fought for this nation in every single war it has gotten into. African Americans in New England gathered to the American patriot cause and were part of the militias that were formed into the Continental Army. Roughly 5% of the American troops were black at the Battle of Bunker Hill. New England blacks usually served in integrated units and got the same pay as their white counter-parts, but no African American held a rank higher than corporal.
It has been approximated that were at least 5,000 black combat troops who fought in the Colonial Army during the Revolutionary War (‘The Revolutionary War’). Baron von Closen, aide- de-camp to General Rochambeau of the French army at Yorktown, wrote in July 1781, ‘A quarter of them [the American army] are Negroes, merry, confident and sturdy” (Gilbert 2013).
The Revolution lead to change for some African-American, although nowhere near full equality. The brave and honorable military service of African Americans put an end to slavery in New England straightaway. New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey implemented plans of gradually setting slaves free from 1780 to 1804 (‘Slavery in New England ‘ 2018).
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During the War of 1812 Blacks again heeded the call to defend America. Just like the American Revolution, black sailors and soldiers viewed the second war with England as a way to progress their own agenda. For free blacks, the War of 1812 offered the opportunity to broker their contribution in ways that improved their individual and collective standing within society. However, for free blacks, the war did not advance their trek toward equality but instead introduced a new era of bigotry and racial discrimination. For enslaved blacks, serving in the military could offer a way to freedom, but that did not take place as often as anticipated (‘Wedged ‘).
April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter is attacked by the Confederate Navy. This triggered a rush by free black men to sign up for U.S. military service. But due to a Federal law from 1792 that banned Blacks from serving in combat role for the U.S. army, they were turned away (even though they had served and fought in the American Revolution and in the War of 1812). After 1862 full recruitment and enlistment of Black soldiers was intensely pursued by the U.S. (‘Black Civil War Soldiers’ 2010). With the help black leaders such as Frederick Douglass who urged black men to become soldiers to guarantee subsequent full citizenship, the Union Army enlisted approximately 179,000 Blacks and about 19,000 more for service in the Navy. Due to racial bigotry directed against them, black units were not used as extensively as they should have been in combat. Yet, these men served with honor in numerous battles. Black infantrymen fought nobly at Milliken’s Bend and Port Hudson, LA, Petersburg, VA, and Nashville, TN. The 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers lost the majority of their officers and half of their enlisted troops in the assault on Fort Wagner, SC, in the summer of 1863, this battle was memorialized in the movie Glory. By the end of the war, 16 black soldiers had been awarded the Medal of Honor for going above and beyond their duty (‘Black Civil War Soldiers’ 2010). Many of these men bled and gave their lives to ensure the birth of this nation many also fought to preserve it and to keep its sovereignty intact. But what they really fought for was freedom and equality, that they as a people would not fully experience for about 100 years after the Civil War. So in conclusion I feel the greatest contribution Blacks have made to the U.S. is their lives.
