The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was one of the first official Black units in the United States armed forces, an infantry regiment that fought in the American Civil War. Black troops had fought alongside George Washington in the Revolutionary War and under Andrew Jackson in the War of 1812, but were not organized as formal military units.
The regiment, organized in March 1863 by the Governor of Massachusetts, John A. Andrew, and commanded by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, sprang to life after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton decided white officers would be in charge of all "colored" units, and Colonel Shaw was chosen by Gov. Andrew himself. The rest of the officers were painstakingly evaluated by Shaw. The soldiers were recruited by white abolitionists, later known as "The Black Committee." Soon afterwards, a second black regiment, the 55th Massachusetts, was organized and began training.
The 54th left Boston to fight for the Union on May......

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Title: Yes
Approximate Word Count: 399
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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