Through the quasi war with France, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War, economic growth and westward expansion generated continuing shortages of merchant sailors for the navy to recruit. With persistence and performance, African Americans could attain petty officer (non-commissioned) positions equivalent to crewman of European descent and were paid accordingly. They equally manned the big guns, were trained in small arms, and performed the myriad of seamanship duties expected. Although performing primarily manual and service functions, they were not restricted to those roles. They were fully integrated into ship’s crews.
African Americans hazarded their lives and freedom against the nation’s enemies in the colonial and United States navies while achieving a level of respect, relatively fair treatment, and economic opportunities generally not available ashore. The navy always had been racially integrated there were no laws like the Militia Act. They escaped bondage and approached equality at least in the enlisted ranks only to have that promise snatched back postwar to the muddy middle ground of segregation and circumscribed citizenship. Starting from total exclusion-the federal Militia Act of 1792 outlawed their services-African-American soldiers sweated, bled, and died their way to broad acceptance as combat soldiers. In the army, African Americans achieved a monumental step forward, a tale of stoic sacrifice and daunting perseverance in the pursuit of freedom and equality as depicted in the popular movie Glory. Men of African descent in the sea service started out ahead of their land-bound compatriots and benefited from vastly expanded wartime opportunities.īut they did not significantly advance the conditions of service, finishing the war about where they started in better-than-slavery but less-than-equal circumstances. Wartime experiences of these men (and a few women) are as distinct as the environments-ashore or afloat-in which they served.
The enlistment of African Americans as soldiers in the United States Army during the Civil War is a well-examined topic, but less appreciated is the story of freedmen and former slaves as sailors in the navy.
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