From Slave to Soldier

Paper Summary:

The paper describes literature and visual imagery by, for and about blacks. This includes slaves, freed men and soldiers alike, as well as some of the white individuals most significant to them during the Civil War years. The paper discusses how the Civil War period was for most African-Americans a time of unprecedented change. The paper continues by portraying how literature and images during this period largely reflect the frightening uncertainty of this period and its many changes. The paper concludes that African-American history of this period, as reflected through Civil War literature, art and other recorded impressions, leaves an indelible stamp on the American psyche.

From the Paper:

"A key African American Abolitionist leader of the Civil War era and beyond, Frederick Douglass, a former slave and leading journalist of the time, helped to recruit free Northern blacks for the 54th Volunteer Infantry. Douglass also sent two of his own sons, Charles and Lewis, to fight in Colonel Gould's all-black regiment ("The Civil War"). Frederick Douglass believed that this would prove that black men could fight as well as white ones, as indeed it did (Frederick Douglass: When the Lion Wrote History)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The Free American Press." African American Odyssey (Part 2). Retrieved December 4, 2005, from: <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ aaohtml/exhibit/ aopart2b.html>.
• Baym, Nina, et al. (Eds). "Frederick Douglass 1818-1895." The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1. 5th Edition. New York: Norton,1990-1992.
• "Phillis Wheatley c. 1753-1784." In The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 1. 5th Edition. Nina Baym et al. (Eds). New York: Norton, 824.
• "The Civil War." African American Odyssey (Part 2). Retrieved December 4, 2005, from: <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart4.html>.
• Dhalle, Kathy. "A Biography of Robert Gould Shaw." June 1997. Bits of Blueand Gray. Retrieved December 4, 2005, from: <http://www.bitsofblueandgray.com/june2003.htm>.

More papers on From Slave to Soldier:

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• Analytical Essay # 58618 : "Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North"
• Research Paper # 28859 : "Daily Life During Civil War Times"

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