Eye for an Eye: The Role of Armed Resistance ... - Freedom Archives

Adams county, Mississippi, in 1861 was influenced by debates between Northern
and Southern politicians and the Southern reaction to the election of Lincoln in
1860 . The Adams County rebels viewed Lincoln as an ally.= These examples
make it clear that enslaved Africans understood the limitations of their conditions
and looked for openings to "turn the tables" on their adversaries. Slave rebels
often overestimated the differences within the American power structure, as these
differences did not represent the necessary shift in power relations to constitute a
revolutionary situation . In spite of their deficiencies, these attempted uprisings do
represent an essential part of the continuum of armed Black resistance .
The Union Army : A Liberation Force for Captive Africans
The American Civil War provided a significant window for Blacks, slave
and free, to participate in changing their reality. Out of military necessity, Black
people were armed by the Northern forces to save the Union . The role of Black
soldiers was crucial to the Union cause . Nearly 180,000 Blacks in the Union
military engaged in 449 engagements and 39 major battles . While Blacks were not
allowed to serve as combatants in the first year and eight months of this conflict,
Black troops suffered 37,300 causalities . Even with their late entry into combat,
the Black Union causality numbers surpassed those of whites . U.S . President
Lincoln acknowledged the significance of Black troops to the Northern military
victory. Lincoln stated, "the emancipation policy and the use of colored troops
constitute the heaviest blow yet dealt the rebellion ." According to Lincoln, the
Union " . ..would otherwise be compelled to abandon the war within three weeks ."
Black troops distinguished themselves in several engagements . The first regiment