Class Updates: 1/3/13 and 1/4/13

Yesterday in class 1/3/13 we further discussed the Emancipation Proclamation which stated all those enslaved in Confederate territory to become forever free. We read a blog that discussed how the Emancipation Proclamation wasn’t as important as most people seem to think. I agree with the author due to the fact that not all of the slaves were freed, leaving a vast majority of slaves under the cold arms of slavery. We also read The Gettysburg Address which encouraged soldiers to continue fighting throughout the war. It also tells are Union to never forget what the soldiers did and what they fought for, its states we will have a new beginning: “That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”

Today in class 1/4/13 we analyzed a sculpture (Robert Gould Shaw Memorial in Boston) of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. After the Emancipation Proclamation, thousands of African-Americans enlisted in the army to fight for the Union. Frederick Douglas convinced President Lincoln to agree upon African-American soldiers, and soon enough they had a chance to fight. They were sent to attack Fort Wagner which was a Confederate fort that protected the entrance to Charleston Harbor. The 54^th Massachusetts Regiment failed to take the fort that would stay in Confederate hands throughout the war. On the bright side they improved the idea of African-American soldiers fighting in war, and encouraged more African-Americans to enlist.