The Formation of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
During a tour of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial at the National Gallery of Art, Senior Curator of Photographs Sarah Greenough explained why and how the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was formed. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was one of the first Black units during the Civil War.
Description
During a tour of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial at the National Gallery of Art, Senior Curator of Photographs Sarah Greenough explained why and how the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was formed. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was one of the first Black units during the Civil War.
Bell Ringer Assignment
- Why was Governor Andrews able to form the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1863? Why is the regiment significant?
- How did Governor Andrews go about recruiting the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment?
- In what ways was the makeup of the 54th Infantry unique during the Civil War?
- How did leaders of the abolitionist movement assist with the formation of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry?
Additional Resources
Participants
Vocabulary
- Abolitionist
- Civil War
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Enlistment
- Frederick Douglass
- Freemen
- Infantry
- Regiment
- Robert Purvis
- Runaway Slave
- Sojourner Truth
- Union Army