DouglassS Rallying Call For Enlistment
In a pivotal turn of the Civil War, the Union Army opened its ranks to African American soldiers, although initial enlistment was tentative. The Emancipation Proclamation ignited more vigorous recruitment efforts, despite the recruits’ justifiable hesitations about fighting for a nation that hadn’t recognized their citizenship.
Galvanized by black leaders, enlistment surged. The eloquent Frederick Douglass underscored the profound significance of service, proclaiming that armed with the symbols of the Union and valor, no force could refute the African American claim to citizenship..