The African Americans actually broadened their worlds while enlisted for a fighting cause. .
Many Union soldiers in the Civil War had not previously seen a black man in their lives until they enrolled in the armed services. Michael Shaara gives a great vision of the white soldiers thoughts of African Americans when he says, "You saw very few black men in New England. You saw black men in the cities but they kept to themselves," (Sharra 169). Although the African Americans did receive some things during the war, they also endured many hardships. Black soldiers received $10/ month minus $3 for clothing, leaving them with $7. However, white soldiers received $13/ month and did not have to pay for their clothing (Military). One troop in particular refused to take less pay than they were initially guaranteed, which was the same that the white men made. The men ripped their checks up into shreds in protest of this doctrine. Colonel Robert Gould of the Union Army shared the pride with his men and also ripped his check into pieces while saying, "If my men refuse to take pay, so will I!" (Glory). .
The black men actually worked just as hard as all of the other United States troops, so it was not fair to pay them the a smaller amount of money to complete the same work. Inspection reports by the military indicated that black troops did well in drill, took pride in their uniforms, and suffered less than white troops from such camp vices as drinking and swearing (Williams 2). Confederate President Jefferson Davis looked at the Union's enlistment of black soldiers as a last measure and considered the Union Army defeated. Little did President Davis know that the black ally was more beneficial to the Union Army and provided a valuable resource. .
Not until the near end of the war did the black soldiers come close to making the same pay as white soldiers. In June 1864, Congress granted equal pay to the U.
