Government Policy, Prejudice, and the Experience of Black Civil War Soldiers and Their Families

Abstract

During the American Civil War, the federal and state governments greatly expanded the financial assistance available to soldiers and their families. While a pension system was instituted after the war to provide a safety net for the aging veterans and their families, African Americans did not receive equal benefits, nor did local communities equally support the black families. The wartime experience of African Americans varied enormously depending on the region in which they lived. Even after the federal government had been persuaded to pass color-blind legislation, the black veterans and their families consistently faced difficulties in getting equal payment. The factors behind the inequitable treatment were a complex mix of widespread prejudice, structural problems, and the difficulties of poor and illiterate groups' receiving government consideration.