The African American family in the free North -- The United States needs African American men -- The idealism versus the realism of military service -- Familial hardships during the Civil War -- Reconstructing the northern African American family -- USCT families in an industrializing nation -- Epilogue -- Appendix I: Methodology -- Appendix II: Philadelphian-born United States Colored Infantry (USCI) soldiers.
Summary:
"This book tells the stories of freeborn northern African Americans in Philadelphia struggling to maintain families while fighting against racial discrimination from 1850 to the 1910s. Civil War military service worsened their already difficult circumstances due to its negative effects on their finances, living situations, minds, and bodies. At least 79,000 African American served in northern USCT regiments. A number of them, including most of the USCT veterans examined here, remained in the North and comprised a sizeable population of racial minorities living outside of the former Confederacy. In The Families' Civil War, Pinheiro provides a compelling account of the lives of USCT soldiers and their entire families, but also argues that Civil War was one battle in a longer war for racial justice. By 1863, the Civil War provided African American Philadelphians with the ability to expand the theater of war beyond their metropolitan and racially oppressive city into the South to defeat Confederates and end slavery as armed combatants. But, the war at home waged by white northerners never ended. The Civil War has and continues to remain a topic that fascinates many Americans. Civil War soldiers often get all lumped together as men who experienced roughly the same thing during the war, as men. However, this book acknowledges how race and class differentiated men's experiences too. Pinheiro examines the intersections of gender, race, class, and region-to fully illuminate the experiences of northern USCT soldiers"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.