African American Civil War Memorial and Museum

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The African American Civil War Museum was opened to the public in January 1999, to honor the heroic struggle for freedom and civil rights of the Americans of African descent. The museum both highlights and commemorates the role of African Americans in the United States Civil War, particularly those that served in United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments. The museum collection comprises a wide assortment of photographs, newspaper articles, and replicas of period clothing, weaponry, and uniforms. Using photographs, documents and state of the art audio visual equipment, the museum helps visitors understand the African American's heroic and largely unknown struggle for freedom. The African American Civil War Memorial is commemorating the over 208,000 African-American soldiers and sailors who fought for the Union in the United States Civil War. The Memorial is located directly across from the Museum at the corner of Vermont Avenue, 10th St, and U Street NW in Washington, D.C. Descendants of USCT soldiers may trace their family lineage using the museum's official registry.

Images

"Spirit of Freedom" bronze statue in the center of memorial, located across from the museum.

Reenactors dressed in reproductions of period clothing

African American Civil War Museum

"Spirit of Freedom" memorial

African American Civil War Museum Entrance Gate.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The African American Civil War Memorial, unveiled in 1998 and designed by architects Devrouax and Purnell, is located just across the museum, at the corner of 10th and U Streets and Vermont Ave.” The Spirit of Freedom sculpture”, bronze statue designed by Louisville sculptor Ed Hamilton, stands ten feet tall and features uniformed Black soldiers and a sailor. Around the sculpture there is the Wall of Honor, a memorial, listing the names of 209,145 African-American servicemen that fought for the Union in the American Civil War. The memorial was transferred to the National Park Service on October 27, 2004 and is now maintained by the National Mall and Memorial Parks office.

Sources

http://www.afroamcivilwar.org/about-us.html http://dc.about.com/od/monuments/a/AACWMem.htm