Resistance in the American Civil War: Through the Lens of Black Women
Abstract:
Black women were engaged in both subtle and bold resistance, utilizing a variety of methods to undermine the institution of enslavement during the American Civil War. Their acts of subtle resistance included small, often overlooked actions, such as being educated, sabotage on plantations through defying slave masters, and supporting the idea of Unionism. Bold resistance highlighted the defiant acts directly against enslavement, challenging the institution, and requiring significant personal risk. Black women engaged in espionage, escaping enslavement, joining the Union cause, and fighting for collective freedom of all Black Americans. While Black women’s resistance is critical in shaping intersectional historical discussions surrounding the American Civil War, as well as in understanding the roles in which these women played in the Union success, their narratives have historically been overlooked. I argue that Black female resistance served as a mechanism for Union success and demonstrated that these women were essential to their own emancipation, as well as to the Confederate surrender. Their acts of subtle and bold resistance played critical roles in achieving freedom.