{"product_id":"lincoln-and-the-us-colored-john-david-smith-9780809332908","title":"Lincoln and the U.S. Colored Troops","description":"When Abraham Lincoln issued his final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he not only freed the slaves in the Confederate states but also invited freed slaves and free persons of color to join the U.S. Army as part of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), the first systematic, large-scale effort by the U.S. government to arm African Americans to aid in the nation's defense. By the end of the war in 1865, nearly 180,000 black soldiers had fought for the Union. Lincoln's role in the arming of African Americans remains a central but unfortunately obscure part of one of the most compelling periods in American history. In \u003ci\u003eLincoln and the U.S. Colored Troops \u003c\/i\u003eJohn David Smith offers a concise, enlightening exploration of the development of Lincoln's military emancipation project, its implementation, and the recruitment and deployment of black troops. \u003cp\u003eThough scholars have written much on emancipation and the USCT, Smith's work frames the evolution of Lincoln's ideas on emancipation and arming blacks within congressional actions, explaining how, when, and why the president seemed to be so halting in his progression to military emancipation. After tracing Lincoln's evolution from opposing to supporting emancipation as a necessary war measure and to championing the recruitment of black troops for the Union Army, Smith details the creation, mobilization, and diverse military service of the USCT. He assesses the hardships under which the men of the USCT served, including the multiple forms of discrimination from so-called friends and foes alike, and examines the broad meaning of Lincoln's military emancipation project and its place in African American historical memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e John David Smith\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0809332906\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780809332908\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Southern Illinois University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/04\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 168\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.68lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.27h x 5.38w x 0.66d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2015 pg. 48","brand":"John David Smith","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48065159921919,"sku":"9780809332908","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_32a57d6c-5d32-4dc6-b9ae-a1d2bd46821a.jpg?v=1768673389","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/lincoln-and-the-us-colored-john-david-smith-9780809332908","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}