Prejudice leads to race riots
in the North
Racial prejudice caused other
problems for Northern blacks during
the Civil War, in addition to prevent-
ing them from serving their country as
soldiers. At that time, many immi-
grants from Germany, Ireland, Italy,
and other European countries worked
in industrial factories in the North.
Working conditions in the factories
were not good in those days, and
many people worked long hours for
low wages. Some workers formed
groups called labor unions in order to
negotiate with their employers for bet-
ter working conditions and higher pay.
Most labor unions did not allow black
people to become members. When
employers did not meet the demands
of the unions, the members would
often refuse to work—or go on strike—
as a form of protest. Then the factory
owners would hire black workers, who
were not part of a union, to take the
place of striking workers. This practice
made many working-class white peo-
ple angry and resentful. But instead of
taking out their anger on their em-
ployers, they targeted black workers.
In 1862 and 1863, the job com-
petition between European immigrants
and Northern blacks sparked race riots
in several major cities. Some of the
most destructive riots occurred in
Cincinnati, Ohio, in July 1862. Angry
groups of Irish and German laborers set
fires and attacked people in the black
part of town, and then groups of black
workers retaliated the next day. The
mob violence continued for five days,
particularly those who had been
slaves, would be too cowardly and
subservient (helpful in an inferior ca-
pacity) to make good soldiers. Finally,
they worried that allowing blacks to
fight in the war would have negative
political implications. Several states
along the border between North and
South allowed slavery, but remained
part of the Union anyway. Some
Northern political leaders thought
that these border states would join the
Confederacy if the Union Army ad-
mitted black soldiers.
Black leaders in the North
were outraged at the policies and prej-
udices that prevented them from
fighting in the Civil War. They point-
ed out that black soldiers had fought
for the United States in both the
American Revolution (1775–83) and
the War of 1812 (June 1812 to Decem-
ber 1814). Frederick Douglass charged
that black men “were good enough to
help win American independence, but
they are not good enough to help pre-
serve that independence against trea-
son and rebellion.” Many Northern
blacks signed petitions asking the Fed-
eral government to change its rules,
but the government refused. In the
meantime, some light-skinned black
men passed for white and enlisted in
the army anyway. Thousands of other
blacks provided unofficial help for the
cause by serving as cooks, carpenters,
laborers, nurses, scouts, and servants
for the Union troops. In addition,
about twenty-nine thousand black
men served in the Union Navy, which
never had a policy against blacks be-
coming sailors.
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