Inquiries Filed Under:

African Americans and the Civil War

About the inquiry

This inquiry examines the experiences of African Americans during the Civil War, those who served in the Union army and enslaved, formerly enslaved, and freed blacks in the south and north. The contributions of African Americans to the war effort were considerable. About 179,000 black soldiers (10% of the Union Army) served in the U.S. Army and 19,000 served in the Navy. This despite the fact that African Americans were only 1.5% of the population in northern states in the war years. Forty thousand black soldiers died over the course of the war.

Compelling Question

How did African Americans experience the Civil War?

Staging Question

Responding to visual prompts, discuss the experiences o fAfrican Americans in the Civil War.

Supporting Question

How many African Americans were enslaved at the onset of the Civil War and where did they live?

Formative Tasks

Write a brief summary paragraph with details describing the geographic and demographic distribution of the African American population in 1860.

Sources

Source A: 1860 US census of African American population Source B: Distribution of the Slave Population - 1860

Supporting Question

How did enslaved blacks gain their freedom during the Civil War?

Formative Tasks

Make a list detailing the ways in which enslaved persons gained their freedom and limits on those efforts.

Sources

Source A: Confiscation Acts Source B: Emancipation Proclamation Abraham Lincoln January 1, 1863 SourceC:3CivilWar telegrams on the topic of emancipation

Supporting Question

What were the experiences of African American soldiers in the Civil War?

Formative Tasks

Create a T-chart with information about the positive and negative experiences of black soldiers during and just after the Civil War.

Sources

Source A: Sherman telegram to Grant, April 16, 1864 Source B: Thomas telegram to Johnson Sept 9, 1865 Source C: Stanton telegram to Grant, March 21, 1865 Source D: Dana to Stanton, June 22, 1863 Source E: Lincoln to Thomas, June 13, 1864

Supporting Question

How did freed and escaped slaves provided information to the Union army?

Formative Tasks

Make a claim with supporting evidence about the ways that freed and escaped slaves provided information to the Union army.

Sources

Source A: 4 Civil War telegrams with reports from escaped and freed slaves on military activities in the Civil War

Summative Performance Task

Argument: Construct a written argument answering the compelling question, "How did African Americans experience the Civil War?" The argument should include claims supported by evidence from the sources.

Extension: Students collect additional information about the African Americans mentioned in the telegrams and create a visual presentation of their experience before, during, and after the Civil War.

Taking Informed Action

No data found.

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