There is no single aspect of the American Civil War more important than story of slavery and emancipation. All too often, however, that story is told as one in which white northerners and white southerners fought each other while African Americans waited on the sidelines for their fates to be decided. Join historian Hari Jones and get the real story, as he describes the experiences of the heroic black soldiers who fought and died for the Union’s “new birth of freedom.” If you truly want to understand the Civil War, learn about what these men went through and what they did, from emancipation to the authorization of United States Colored Troops to their exploits on countless battlefield. This video is part of the Civil War Trust’s In4 series.