Of two hundred thousand soldiers that fought for American independence, approximately five thousand were African American. They fought in almost .
every major battle of the war, showing their bravery and loyalty. Many were re-enslaved after the war. Even free blacks were not allowed to own guns and were not allowed in the military.
Within twenty years of the Revolutionary War the country found itself at war with Great Britain, again. Andrew Jackson needed more men to defend New Orleans in the War of 1812. He disregarded the policy that blacks were not allowed in the military, and proposed "Free Men of Color in Louisiana". Jackson guaranteed that there would be payment for their service in the war, but when the war ended, blacks were barred from the military once again.
It wasn't until the Civil War that blacks were permitted to bear arms to defend the country. Early in the Civil War, the Union Army was met with great disapproval, because they felt that whites would not fight in a mixed army. When abolitionists argued that blacks had a right to be free, Lincoln reconsidered. In January of 1863, President Lincoln issued an Emancipation Proclamation. This freed slaves in the rebel states and made provisions to enlist blacks in the military. The all-black 54th regiment was formed. The War Department insisted that .
blacks be paid less than whites. The soldiers of the 54th and their WHITE officers refused to accept less payment and the War Department changed and all the soldiers were paid the same. The 54th and the black members of 165 regiments fought hard and had heavy losses. Together they earned twenty plus Congressional Medals of Honor. It is estimated that 390,000 blacks served during the Civil War. This was 10% of the Union Army. They also suffered 38,000+ deaths. After the Civil War, the 24th and 25th infantries and the 9th and 10th cavalries became permanent black army units.
