250 to 250: 81. 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Narrated by Kevin M. Levin

Heather Cox Richardson and 250 to 250: 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, Narrated by Kevin M. Levin

Kevin M. Levin is an award-winning historian and educator, and the author of four books on the history and memory of the Civil War era, including his forthcoming biography, A Glorious Fate: The Life and Legacy of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. He writes the popular newsletter Civil War Memory. Levin tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts and its hesitant young colonel, whose 1863 assault on Battery Wagner moved the nation closer to emancipation and equal rights.

During the Civil War, the Union Army created the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.

• The 54th Massachusetts was one of the first Black regiments in the Union Army.
• Robert Gould Shaw became the regiment's commander.
• Shaw was 25 years old.
• Most 54th Massachusetts soldiers were free Black men from the North.
• Black soldiers were paid less than white soldiers.
• They also faced great danger if Confederate soldiers captured them.

On July 18, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts attacked Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina.

• The Union soldiers did not capture the fort.
• Many soldiers were killed, including Robert Gould Shaw.
• The courage of the 54th Massachusetts helped change people's ideas about Black soldiers.
• Their service also helped the fight for freedom and equal rights for African Americans.

POP Interview and Civics Quiz:

• N-400 Part 9:8. Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted (helped), or participated in any military or police unit?
• USCIS 100:74.  Name one problem that led to the Civil War.
• USCIS 128:96. What U.S. war ended slavery?

Family Fun:

• American Battlefield Trust: Fort Wagner and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
• Black History in Two Minutes or so: The History of the Black Soldier
• NPS: 54th Massachusetts Regiment | New Bedford Historical Park 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry | Online Junior Ranger Activities | Faces of the 54th | 54th Massachusetts Coloring Sheet
• National Museum of the US Army: The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
• PBS Ken Burns: Bottom Rail on Top clip | Civil War (stream the 8 part series or borrow the DVDs from the library)
• PBS Learning Media: African-American Troops and Robert Gould Shaw of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment | more resources
• Sony: GLORY [1989] – Official Trailer ( stream or borrow the DVD from the library)
• Untold History: Black Soldiers and the Fight for Citizenship
• VOA News: Re-enactors Celebrate African-American Contribution to US Civil War