Primary Sources: U.S. Civil War: African Americans

"This digital collection illuminates specific moments in the history of Ohio's African-Americans and provides an overview of their experiences during the time period 1850 to 1920 in the words of the people that lived them. The story of the African-American Experience in Ohio 1850-1920 is more diverse and complex than this collection can adequately portray. All we can hope is to provide the researcher with a place to begin. "

Provided by: HathiTrust Digital Library

Relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard 1813-1869.
Transcribed With Introduction and Notes by John G. Sharp
(12 October 2007).

to aid in suppressing the slave-holders' rebellion : statements concerning the origin, difficulties and success of the movement, including official documents, military testimonials, proceedings of the "Union League Club," etc. / collated for the "New York Association for Colored Volunteers," by Henry O'Rielly, secretary.

"... gives a panoramic and eclectic review of African American history and culture from the early 19th through the early 20th centuries, with the bulk of the material published between 1875 and 1900. Among the authors represented are Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Benjamin W. Arnett, Alexander Crummel, and Emanuel Love."

A selection of documents related to the Port Chicago explosion, where 320 men were killed - 202 were African American enlisted men.

"The War Department issued General Order 143 on May 22, 1863, creating the United States Colored Troops. By the end of the Civil War, roughly 179,000 black men (10 percent of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army, and another 19,000 served in the Navy."