AACWERT

The African Americans in the Civil War Era Round Table, Inc

​The Rock Creek Civil War Round Table

Presents Part 3

“The Meaning of Emancipation”

by

Bennie J. McRae Jr.

and

Cheryl Stallworth-Hooper, Narrator

Saturday, June 7, 2025

9:30 A.M​ Eastern Time

Of special interest in Part 3 are the widespread reactions of enslaved African Americans, who sensed in the Emancipation Proclamation a possible end of the institution of slavery.  Across the South, hundreds of thousands of freedmen seized the opportunity, escaped to freedom, and swelled the ranks of the Union Army in the fight against the Confederacy.  By their life choices and actions, African Americans place issues of slavery and freedom at the forefront of public concern, political debate and U. S. governmental policy.

Military victories in the Mississippi Valley and the coastal states from Virginia to Florida presented the Union Army with new legal, economic and social policy questions.  How should it receive the tens of thousands of freedmen who were flocking to its armies? Should the Union Army re-start the southern agricultural system that had been interrupted by the war?  Under what policies should states in rebellion be returned to representation in the U.S. Congress?

In this month’s presentation Bennie McRae Jr. and his narrator, Cheryl Stallworth-Hooper will highlight some of the many policy debates that galvanized the nation from 1863 to the approval of the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865.  Policies and programs to be explored include:

Ø  Pres. Lincoln’s Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction, December 8, 1863

Ø  The American Freedmen’s Inquiry Commission

Ø  The Bureau of Colored Troops

Ø  The Lieber Code and the treatment of prisoners of war,

Ø  The Wade-Davis Act, and

Ø  The Proposed 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

During the Civil War, the press was a powerful tool for influencing public opinion, acting as a social influence machine that swayed political and military perspectives.  Through the nation’s telegraph network, newspapers provided daily updates on issues such as military battles, casualty lists, troop movements, and the military draft.  Newspapers often editorialized about the war and discussed the use of Black troops and provisions for freedmen.  The combat performance of African American regiments – in victory and disaster -- were covered in great detail.

The Civil War presented African Americans with a wide range of threats and opportunities.  Across the spectrum, most hoped that the conflict would result in the destruction of the peculiar institution known as slavery.  African Americans demonstrated their desire for freedom and communities by moving toward Union lines and a willingness to enlist as soldiers.  This desire sparked new social political possibilities, which are reflected in the issues above.   

At 9:30 AM, Saturday, June 7, 2026, please join Mr. Bennie J, McRae Jr., Narrator Cheryl Stallworth-Hooper and the Rock Creek Civil War Round Table (RCCWRT) for an insightful and uplifting follow-up discussion.  

A Virtual Presentation

Via

Zoom Meeting

(See Zoom Link Below)

Link to Join Zoom Meeting:​ :  Due to a Zoom Security Alert, to access this meeting we are now requiring entry of the Passcode Number below.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88510223029?pwd=hykGQFS1qvEpijdCE3ze8zHTHtsP7B.1     

Meeting ID:  885 1022 3029

Passcode:  496280

BENNIE J. MCRAE JR. 

BIOGRAPHY

Bennie J. McRae is a native of Louisville, Alabama and served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War from August 1951 to July 1955, and presently resides in Trotwood, Ohio.  He retired in 1989 after 36 years of service as an air traffic service operations specialist, air traffic training and management positions with the United States Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration.

After retiring, McRae visited numerous libraries, archives, and historic sites for the purpose of researching and documenting nineteenth and twentieth century history with a focus on people of African descent in the American Civil War, on the Western Frontier, in World Wars I and II. This interest resulted in the publishing of “Lest We Forget”, an historical ​ quarterly from 1992 until 1997, and the development of four websites on the African American military experience, “Lest We Forget”, “Making of the United States of America”, “African American Military History” and “Resting Places of United States Colored Civil War Soldiers and Sailors”.

McRae has an M.A. in Business Management from Central Michigan University and a B.A. in Business Management from Antioch College.

He has been honored with numerous awards, proclamations and resolutions for researching and sharing the “hidden history” of people of African descent in the United States.

A Special Presentation. Dr. Andrew Sillen, author of 

"Kidnapped at Sea: The Civil War Voyage of David Henry White"

THE TRUE STORY OF DAVID HENRY WHITE, A FREE BLACK TEENAGE SAILOR ENSLAVED ON THE HIGH SEAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR, WHOSE LIFE STORY WAS FALSELY AND INTENTIONALLY APPROPRIATED TO ADVANCE THE LOST CAUSE TROPE OF A CONTENTED SLAVE, HAPPY AND SAFE IN SERVILITY. 

What else dos the AACWERT provide?

Our AACWERT provides more than just Zoom presentations.  We plan to add to this central hub links to high quality USCT and African Americans in the Civil War information and agencies such as those from libraries, National Archives, US Library of Congress, US Army Center for Military History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Genealogy, etc.