African Americans served in the Civil War, so they had to have some sort of effect on the war. In this essay I will show how and provide multiple examples of how African Americans actually influenced the Civil War. This essay will address three main topics, African Americans on the Confederate side, African Americans on the Union side, and finally the other roles (including discrimination) that African Americans played in the war that does not specifically relate to either side. . African Americans served in the Civil War on both sides, so they faced discrimination and in many ways influenced one of the most devastating conflicts in American history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAfrican Americans in the Confederate Army: Blacks served in the Confederate Army, however, most black soldiers were impressed as a slave labor force. While others were usually brought by their masters and to provide for their master's needs in the camp. In some of these cases, if the master was killed, the servant would have to return the master's belongings to his family. From this time, there were a couple of cases where some servants were responsible for taking their master's place in the firing line, and for this reason they were adopted by the regiment. In 1863, which was marked around the middle of the war, state militias of free African American men presented themselves to the Confederate war office but refused, this due to their lack and need for Confederate soldiers. The war continued, and as the war dragged on, the issue of the lack of Confederate soldiers became more and more apparent and was eventually discussed in the Confederate Congress. Confederate Major General Patrick Cleburne proposed the idea of ​​arming slaves. This proposal was very unpopular and was widely shared. Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, actually ordered Cleburne's proposal killed. Legislation eventually passed that if drafted into the Confederate Army, some black slaves would be freed. However they needed their masters' consent to do so, and only a small group of black soldiers were actually conscripted due to this legislation. African-Americans in the Union Army: Blacks also served in the Union Army, however, even though blacks were still discriminated against in reverse, there were many differences in how they were treated and how they were used in warfare . In the Union Army, freed blacks went to volunteer in the Union Army at the start of the war. However, they were not even allowed to enlist, even though African Americans had served in the Navy and Army during the War of 1812 and the American Revolution. This was due to a 1792 law that effectively barred them from carrying or using weapons in the U.S. Army. Not only that, though, but “President Lincoln also feared that accepting black men into the military would bring success to border states like Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri.” Eventually, black men who were free were finally allowed to enlist in late 1862. If a slave's master was in the Confederate Army, this freed the slave. This occurred because of the Militia Act, the second confiscation, and President Lincoln's signature. Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This was “The first official authorization to employ African Americans in federal service was the Second Confiscation and Militia Act of 17.