Between politics and civil war: Lincoln and the black troops

The Civil War in the United States between 1861 and 1865 was one of America's greatest conflicts. From the beginning, the Union enlisted black men in the army, with the support of the federal government. Since then, the figure of Abraham Lincoln has been linked to ideals of abolitionism and unification. Thus, the focus of this research is to understand how the myth surrounding Abraham Lincoln was built in the military and political sphere, permeating the visions of freedom of black soldiers who saw in the president a symbol of strength and justice willing to work for general and unrestricted freedom, but who also criticised his mandate. To this end, we will begin with an in-depth discussion of the main historiographical currents on the subject, and then we will focus on the social and political panorama of the United States at the time of the Civil War. From there, we will be able to look for traces of the construction of Lincoln's image in letters written by black soldiers, their officers and civilians affected by their struggles. Thus, we hope to enter the universe of black soldiers' views on war and freedom, seeking to understand how Lincoln permeated them.

Autorentext

Lara Taline dos Santos est titulaire d'une licence et d'une maîtrise en histoire de l'Université fédérale du Paraná (UFPR). Elle est actuellement professeur d'histoire dans le système scolaire privé, dans les dernières années de l'école primaire. Son domaine d'étude est l'histoire américaine, en particulier l'histoire des États-Unis, la guerre civile et les troupes noires.

Klappentext

The Civil War in the United States between 1861 and 1865 was one of America's greatest conflicts. From the beginning, the Union enlisted black men in the army, with the support of the federal government. Since then, the figure of Abraham Lincoln has been linked to ideals of abolitionism and unification. Thus, the focus of this research is to understand how the myth surrounding Abraham Lincoln was built in the military and political sphere, permeating the visions of freedom of black soldiers who saw in the president a symbol of strength and justice willing to work for general and unrestricted freedom, but who also criticised his mandate. To this end, we will begin with an in-depth discussion of the main historiographical currents on the subject, and then we will focus on the social and political panorama of the United States at the time of the Civil War. From there, we will be able to look for traces of the construction of Lincoln's image in letters written by black soldiers, their officers and civilians affected by their struggles. Thus, we hope to enter the universe of black soldiers' views on war and freedom, seeking to understand how Lincoln permeated them.