Brynn Baker - Buffalo Soldiers: Heroes of the American West

1. 1866: Congress approves the formation of all-black regiments in the U.S. Army.
2. 1867: Buffalo Soldiers are sent to the western frontier.
3. 1867: Buffalo Soldiers take part in the Battle of the Saline River.
4. 1873: Buffalo Soldiers explore and map the Staked Plains.
5. 1877: Henry O. Flipper becomes the first black man to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the first black officer in a Buffalo Soldier regiment.
6. 1948: The U.S. Army integrates all fighting units.
7. 1992: A monument honoring the Buffalo Soldiers service is dedicated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

1. Why did black men join the army after the Civil War? Use details from the text to support your answer. (Key Ideas and Details)
2. Suppose that Congress never approved the formation of the Buffalo Soldier regiments. How do you think this would have affected the development of the western frontier? (Integration of Knowledge and Ideas)
3. Look at the timeline starting with the formation of the Buffalo Soldier regiments in 1866 and ending with the dedication of the monument honoring the soldiers service in 1992. What does this say about the effect the Buffalo Soldiers had on the United States? (Craft and Structure)

(am-yuh-NI-shuhn) bullets and other objects that can be fired from weapons (AHR-joo-uhs) very difficult and requiring a lot of effort (BI-guh-tree) treating someone of a different religious, racial, or ethnic group with hatred or intolerance (kuhn-FE-druh-see) the Southern states that fought against the Northern states in the Civil War; also called the Confederate States of America (dis-kri-muh-NAYshuhn) treating people unfairly because of their race, country of birth, or gender (en-LIST) to voluntarily join a branch of the military (FORT) a place built to be strong to keep the people living there safe from attack (HOHM-sted) a piece of land with room for a new home and farm (IN-tuh-gray-ted) accepting of all races (OWT-brayk) when a number of people get sick at the same time from the same germ source (PREJ-uh-diss) hatred or unfair treatment of people who belong to a certain social group, such as a race or religion (ri-KROOT) a new member of the armed forces (REJ-uh-muhnt) a large group of soldiers that fights together as a unit (si-SEED) to formally withdraw from a group or an organization, often to form another organization (seg-ruh-GAY-shuhn) the practice of keeping groups of people apart, especially based on race (STAYJ-kohch) a horse-drawn passenger and mail coach running on a regular schedule with stops (YOON-yuhn) the United States of America; also the Northern states that fought against the Southern states in the Civil War

1. Honders, Christine.Buffalo Soldiers. New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2015.
2. Lsted, Marcia Amidon.African Americans in the Military. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2012.
3. Orr, Tamra.The Buffalo Soldiers. Whats So Great About ? Hockessin, Del.: Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2010.
4. Solomon, Sharon K.Cathy Williams, Buffalo Soldier. Gretna, La.: Pelican Publishing, 2010.

The Civil War (18611865) was the fifth major war the United States participated in since the Revolutionary War (17751783). It involved the United States and 11 Southern states. These Southern states wanted to create its own country to protect its right to own slaves. The Union wanted to keep the United States a single, undivided country. It also wanted to end slavery. This division between the Northern and Southern states resulted in the Civil War.

Beginning in 1861 many free African-American men and runaway slaves tried to in the Union army. They wanted to help fight against slavery. None of the men were accepted. At the time laws existed that prevented African-Americans from joining the army. These laws changed when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The proclamation freed slaves in areas under Confederate control. It also announced that African-Americans could legally join the Union army. However, the black soldiers were kept in separate units from the white soldiers.

Marriage between slaves was not allowed by law. During the Civil War, African-American Union soldiers, like the man pictured here, were able to legally get married. The war also reunited many black families that had previously been torn apart by slavery. Freed slaves made incredible efforts to find lost loved ones.

By the time the war ended in 1865, about 186,000 black soldiers had joined the Union army. About 60,000 of them died in battle. More than 640,000 Union soldiersboth black and whitedied in the Civil War. Black soldiers helped the Union win against the Confederate army.

Many were recognized for their outstanding volunteer service. A total of 25 black soldiers were awarded with the Medal of Honor for their bravery in the Civil War. This is the highest award in the American military.

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was a group of black Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War. They became famous after their attack on Fort Wagner in South Carolina on July 18, 1863. Outnumbered by the Confederates, the 54th lost the battle. However, their efforts helped the Union win control of the fort on September 7, 1863. Fort Wagner was just one of many Civil War battles in which black soldiers proved their fearless fighting abilities.

The Revolutionary War split the American colonists into two groupsthe Loyalists and the Patriots. Loyalists were colonists who were loyal to Great Britain during the war. Patriots were people who sided with the colonies. African-American soldiers fought on both sides of the war. Many African-Americans chose sides depending on which army promised them freedom. In 1778 the colony of Rhode Island needed more Patriot soldiers for the war. Colony leaders passed a law that made it legal for African-Americans to enlist. The reward for their service would be freedom from slavery. About 140 African-Americans volunteered and were placed into the 1st Rhode Island .

On March 5, 1770, Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave, confronted a group of British soldiers with about 30 other Patriots. The Patriots were unhappy with the British presence in Boston, Massachusetts. Shots were suddenly fired by the soldiers, and Attucks was the first person hit and killed. Although the Revolutionary War was still five years away, many people consider this event, known as the Boston Massacre, to be the first battle of the war. Attucks became the first person killed during the struggle for American independence from Great Britain. Today he is considered a hero by many people.