Answer: It was important for African-American men to have the opportunity to fight in the Civil War because it gave them a sense of belonging during their fight to end slavery. They also were fighting to end the wages injustice that occured at the same time, as during the end of the Civil War, Congress passed an act that equalized pay between both black and white soldiers. Lastly, the Union army desperately needed soldiers for the front lines, and so on July 17th, 1862, the The Second Confiscation and Militia Act was passed.
