This paper discusses the issues of slavery and emancipation during the heart of the Civil War. It was only natural, then, that black men felt the call to military service. From the onset of the war, free black men rushed to enlist in U.S. military units, but were turned away because of a Federal law dating from 1792 that barred Negroes from bearing arms for the U.S. army. In Boston, disappointed would-be volunteers met, passing a resolution requesting that the Government modify its laws to permit their enlistment. The eventual inclusion of black soldiers in the Union Army, would have an immense impact on the outcome of the war, and proved a giant step in the advancement of black Americans overall.
