The Black Soldier in the Early Republic From the beginning Black Americans have had to deal with the dual expectations thatwere expected of them by the United States. Often there was resistance to allowing blacks tojoin the military and when they were allowed they usually drew the most distasteful anddangerous assignments. In addition they were given a less pay and were still treated as secondclass citizens at best. However, despite their troubles African Americans have made greatcontributions to our armed forces starting with the Revolutionary War. The Afro-American hasfought for his country to preserve the Union, and he has also fought against his country to gainthe right to fight and for freedom. The United States its first war for independence despite overwhelming odds. Yet it maynot of been won without the black soldiers in the armies. "The first American to shed blood inthe revolution that freed America from British rule was Crispus Attucks" (Wilkes 24). He alongwith four white men were killed in the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770. Attucks, a fugitiveslave, was protesting against the perceived English occupation of Boston along with other whitesnot realizing he would give his life and b

At least one-tenth of the crews of the fleet on the lake region were African American. BlackAmericans fought the British on land and sea, and they decisive contributions in the variousnaval battles fought on the Great Lakes under the command of Oliver H. The next American war fought with Afro-American help was the War of 1812. Captain Perry, likeWashington, objected to the appointment of Blacks to his naval ships. It was also the first armed force to fully integrateboth Blacks and Whites. At the battles of Concord and Lexington in 1775, black soldiers fought alongside whitesoldiers. " In that proclamation, Jackson, who needed to augment and strengthen his forces,called upon the free Blacks of Louisiana, which of course was a slave state, to answer the appealof their country. In the appeal he confessed that "the policy of the United States in barringNegroes from the service had been a mistaken one. Today Blacks in the military are bound only by their own inherent limitationswith even the highest positions being within their grasp. Unfortunately despite Afro-Americans' contributions to the war effort and thelarge amount of dead Blacks, few had gained their freedom. The slaves who had been enlisted by their masters in the American army foundthemselves re-enslaved after the war was over and the United States had no further needs of theirmilitary services. The Afro-American thus found himself as a servant to the White masters untilthe Civil War. Yet even though the Afro-American soldiers clearly distinguished themselves assoldiers they still met resistence from the white colonist. We all owe a debt of gratitude to thoseAfrican Americans that put their lives on the line and gave the Union the slight advantage thatwas need to be victorious in war.

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