A. Attention Getter: For sixteen hundred years prior to the war between Great Britain and the Colonies, the pages of history bear no record of the Negro as a soldier. Tracing his separate history in the Revolutionary War is a task of much difficulty, for the reason that while individual instances of valor and patriotism abound there were so few separate bodies of Negro troops that no separate record appears to have been made. The simple fact is that the fathers, as a rule, enlisted men both for the Army and Navy, just as now, only continued by the Navy, they were assigned wherever needed, without regard to race or color.
B. Thesis Statement: Today I thank you for the opportunity for allowing me to speak to you of how the steadfast courage and heroism of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts (Negro) Infantry helped pave the way for the enlistment of blacks in the United States Armed Forces.
C. Relate the Topic to the Audience: There are still issues in our society when it comes to issues involving a person’s race and the color of our skin. This is a fight that has been going on for centuries. Patriotism does not come by the color of our skin but, from within.
. . .
Fortunately for the Federals, the Confederate pursuit was poorly conducted, enabling most of the Yankees to escape. Its performance was considered an important indication of the use of blacks in combat. The Fort's garrison consisted of troops from the Charleston area, including the Charleston Battalion. The regiment earned its greatest fame on July 18, 1863, when it led the unsuccessful and controversial assault on the Confederate positions at Battery Wagner. The Federals retreated back to the Barbers, where they had begun the day. Several regiments held their place in line despite being completely out of ammunition. The most well known of the recruits were Frederick Douglass' sons, Lewis and Charles Douglass. He got up, ran to the flag through a volley of bullets, and delivered it to his regiment. As he fell to the ground he cried, "Boys, the old flag never touched the ground!" For his actions, Carney received the Medal of Honor. There are still issues in our society when it comes to issues involving a person’s race and the color of our skin. The 54th Infantry surprised its critics as they proved to be a strong force against Confederate troops. Patriotism does not come by the color of our skin but, from within. Enlistees included former slaves and free blacks , from the north.
There were several black units, but the 54th Massachusetts Infantry became the most recognized.
Approximate Word count =
2237
Approximate Pages =
9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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