Black Soldiers' Role in ending Slavery and Winning the Civil War: The History Most Americans Don't Know

Few Americans understand the important role of African-American soldiers in ending slavery and helping to win the Civil War. While the Emancipation Proclamation is generally believed to have ended slavery, it freed no slaves on January 1st, 1863. It did however set into motion considerations that would eventually end both slavery and the U.S. Civil War.  The Emancipation Proclamation allowed 200,000 African-American soldiers to serve in the Union Army and help to free 4,000,000 enslaved African-American people in the United States out of a total of 4.5 million African-Americans living in the United States at that time.

Our guest Captain Ed Gantt s a retired Navy Captain, He graduated from Howard University and entered Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School. The place that was depicted in the movie - An Officer and a Gentleman. Captain Gantt served 30 years of active duty in the US Army and Navy and a tour as a commanding officer of the F-14 Tomcat squadron, the aircraft, and squadron featured in the movie Top Gun.

Captain Gantt has been involved as a civil war re-enactor and speaker since 2014 with a focus on the contribution of US Colored Troops to the outcome of the Civil War.

Most Americans don't know about the role of African-American Civil War reenactors in bringing a living, breathing Civil War history and the contributions of African-American soldiers to life across the US every year.

Ed Gantt will be interviewed by Dr. Richard Kennedy.  Richard Kennedy is an Internist who has over 36 years of clinical experience including the World Bank Clinical Services and Private Practice, He is currently a Primary Care physician in Washington, DC. Medstar.

RESOURCES:

National Archives - Veteran's Records:

- For research on African-American soldiers serving in the Civil War.

African American Civil War Museum:

https://www.afroamcivilwar.org/

54th Massachusetts Regiment:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/54th-massachusetts-regiment.htm

Glory:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glory_(1989_film)

A1989 American historical war drama film directed by Edward Zwick about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the Union Army's earliest African-American regiments in the American Civil War.

Project Gutenberg: (Referencing books mentioned by Captain Gantt)

- A reminder on the books you mentioned is needed

National Museum of African American History and Culture:

https://nmaahc.si.edu/

Slave Bible From The 1800s Omitted Key Passages That Could Incite Rebellion
shorturl.at/btMU9

The Legacy Museum:

https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/ 

From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration
Located on the site of a former warehouse where Black people were forced to labor in Montgomery, Alabama, this narrative museum uses interactive media, sculpture, and videography. It exhibits to immerse visitors in the sights and sounds of the slave trade, racial terrorism, the Jim Crow South, and the world’s largest prison system. Compelling visuals and data-rich exhibits provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity to investigate America's history of racial injustice and its legacy — to draw dynamic connections across generations of Americans impacted by the tragic history of racial inequality.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice
More than 4,400 African American men, women, and children were hanged, burned alive, shot, drowned, and beaten to death by white mobs between 1877 and 1950. Millions more fled the South as refugees from racial terrorism, profoundly impacting the entire nation. Until now, no national memorial has acknowledged the victims of racial terror lynchings. 

Transcript

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Join us as Dr. Richard Kennedy interviews Captain Ed Gantt, retired Navy officer and Civil war reenactor who will speak about the largely unknown and untold story of how the recruitment of 200,000 black soldiers in 1862 -63 helped turn the course of the Civil war.

0-3.00:         Introducing Captain Gantt

04.00            1862-63 --  200,000 black soldiers are enlisted and how this ultimately  changes the course of the Civil War

07.00. -         How Captain Gantt became involved in Civil War Re-enactment

19.00            What happens at Civil War Re-enactments, and how accurate are they?  and how they keep history alive

23.00 -           Why were there no black soldiers prior to 1860? And the Emancipation Proclamation

29.00              Controlling the Narrative, why has there been so little about Black Soldiers' involvement in the Civil War?

35.00              What was the justification for the Civil War? Captain Gantt's views

48.00              The resurgence of the Klu Klux Klan and other right-wing vigilante groups

56.00 .             Some Myths about Slavery - i.e. it wasn’t that bad, that it provided, housing and security,“ fighting for a noble cause.”

1.00                The monument controversy, should monuments of Southern Civil War generals be removed?

1.04.                Is history repeating itself with divisiveness in today's society?

1.06:               How do we change the Narrative so that the general public knows more about these 200,000 black troops

1.08.                To quote Joshua 24:15 “ as for me and my house, we will serve the lord”…. Captain Gantt's views on controlling our environment with positive energy

1.13:             To research more about the Black soldiers' involvement in the Civil War Captain Gantt recommends the African-American Civil War Museum in NW DC.

1925 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC

1.15                Conclusion and sign-off thanks  Captain Gantt for a highly enlightening and thought-provoking interview