At Sea: Fighting For Freedom

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. (Dwight Hughes, 2018, ECW Blog)

In 2015 ECW published an article about photographs taken by Henry P. Moore in South Carolina. These 1862 images include slaves, freedmen, and African American sailors, giving a glimpse into their experiences in the fight for freedom. In honor of Black History Month, here is that article form the ECW Archives.

Sailors, Slaves, and Henry P. Moore

Interested in exploring more about slavery, freedmen, and Civil War navies? Last year Dwight Hughes shared his research on the topic.

Slaves and Sailors in the Civil War