William H. Carney was the first African American awarded the Medal of Honor for his service in the Civil War battle at Fort Wagner near Charleston, SC, in July 1863. Born into slavery in Norfolk, VA, on February 29, 1840, eventually he and his family obtained their freedom and settled in New Bedford, MA. In February 1863, he was one of the first men to volunteer for the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
The 54th Regiment was one of the first Black regiments recruited to serve in the Civil War after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Below are some facts about these regiments and the 1860 Census from the U.S. Census Bureau:
The Supreme Court decided the case of Wesberry v. Sanders on February 17, 1964. This case clarified the Constitution’s intention to provide equal representation for all Americans, noting that Congressional districts should be approximately equal in population. Congress acted to further ensure equality in voting with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The 1890 Census was the first to include a question on veteran status. That year, the census counted nearly 1.5 million Civil War Union and Confederate veterans [PDF 2 MB], approximately 57,000 of whom were Black. Of the 206,000 widows of Civil War soldiers, sailors, and marines, 10,000 were Black.
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