Fighting for the Citizenship: Images of Black Soldiers from USCT Regiments

February is Black History Month, and the following quote from Frederick Douglass briefly summarizes the courage, hopes, and desire for freedom and citizenship that inspired many African-American men to enlist in the U.S. Navy or units of United States Colored Troops during the Civil War.

Let the quote form the framework for reflectively viewing this collection of photos of identified soldiers.

“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizen-ship in the United States.”