One Country, One Flag, One Destiny African American Service in the Civil War Page 6/6

One Country, One Flag, One Destiny: African American Service in the Civil War
Post-war United States
Even though African Americans did not have the full rights of citizenship before the Civil War, they chose to fight and die for the American flag.Through military service, many expected that African Americans would gain citizenship. Although African Americans acquired citizenship rights in 1868 through the XIV Amendment to the United States Constitution, and African American men acquired voting rights in 1870 with the passage of the XV Amendment, the United States Congress did not enforce them, which allowed many states to continue their systematic unequal treatment of their African American citizens. Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses, many states were able to deny voting rights to African Americans. Those discriminatory practices continued until the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On the battlefields of the Civil War, Ohio African American soldiers bravely served and died beside their comrades. Sergeant Major Milton Holland, 1st Sergeant James H. Bronson, 1st Sergeant Robert Pinn, and 1st Sergeant Powhatan Beaty of the 5th U.S.C.T. were awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery. Through their service, African American men firmly established their right to defend their country. In every war after the Civil War, African Americans have fought for the stars and stripes. In so doing, African Americans have made the motto, "One Country, One Flag, and One Destiny" a reality.

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About the Author
Melissa Wiford is a member of the Archives Library Museum Access (ALMA) team, which was responsible for the Ohio Battle Flag digitization and cataloging project. She received her bachelor's degrees in history, women's studies, and sociology from The Ohio State University.