The Creation of the United States Colored Troops | Ohio History

When war broke out between the North and the South, African-American men were barred from bearing arms as members of the Union Army despite the need for troops. Through the intrepid action of numerous individuals around the country and in Cleveland specifically, great progress was made in rectifying this injustice. Once allowed to serve, African-Americans played a crucial role in helping to bring about the Union victory. According to Abraham Lincoln himself, “without the military help of the black freedmen, the war against the south could not have been won.”
Credits:
Video and Narration:
Tommaso Solomon
With Assistance From:
Timothy M. Daley, Executive Director
Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument
Music:
Rejecting the Sirens
By Kai Engel
(CC BY-NC 4.0)
[Edits: Volume Changes, Repeated]
freemusicarchive.org/music/Ka...
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Images/Content:
The Library of Congress
Cleveland Public Library
The Huntington Library
Wikimedia Commons
The National Archives
The Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
Monument Staff