From Lincoln's inauguration and the secession of eleven states from the Union to the first firefight at Fort Sumter, the inevitable Civil War began. Since America began to expand as an independent country, sectionalism (where the North wanted the abolition of slavery while the South wanted slavery) and growing conflicts between the North and the South have always revolved around the issue of slavery. This long awaited problem finally explodes in the face of the “United States” of America as Civil War. Conflicts related to African Americans caused the war, changed the course and complications of the war, and shaped the outcomes of the war both informally and formally. African Americans also actively participated in the military during the Civil War. After Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, African Americans were officially allowed to join the military. Most slaves remained in the South while tens of thousands abandoned Southern plantations to join the Union (Doc A). About ten percent of the total Union enlistments on both land and sea were blacks. African Americans united and fought willingly (Doc B) and courageously now that they had a cause to fight for: the abolition of slavery. More than thirty-eight thousand died in war for the Union, suffering in the Fort Pillow Massacre and serving in units such as the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment and other black military units. Because of prejudices and ideas, the Confederacy did not draft slaves into the army until the war was almost over; Confederate slaves worked on farms while white men joined the army. The new idea of ​​African Americans engaged in the war, marching and fighting for the Union, changed the views of many whites and the treatment of blacks....... middle of the document ...... hold on to the words of God (Doc E) . They relied on the people who freed them to educate them. Other actions such as the Civil Rights Act of 1866 granted blacks the same rights as an American citizen opposed to the black codes. Figures such as Charles Sumner and Thaddeus Stevens, previously defeated, defended slaves and fought for their rights. President Grant's election was also deeply linked to African Americans. Once African Americans were officially citizens and counted as voters rather than three-fifths of a person, they held power in voting and elections. President Grant won the election thanks to the black popular vote. The entire history of America has always been linked to African Americans. These people took part in the outbreak of the civil war, determining its development and consequences of the war through social and physical reconstruction.