What is African Americans in the American Civil War?
[[File:The Colored Volunteer., ca. 1863 (5450471713).jpg|thumb|right|200px|{{Center|African-American volunteer in the Union Army}}]] {{African American topics sidebar}} The history of '''African Americans in The American Civil War''' includes the over four [[million]] slaves and approximately 500,000 free [[African Americans]] who were living in the United States at the beginning of the war. Altogether they made up 14% of the population of the country. Many served as [[soldier]]s in the [[Union Army]].<ref name=aframHN>{{cite web |url=http://www.historynet.com/african-americans-in-the-civil-war |title=African Americans In The Civil War |publisher=HistoryNET |access-date=12 November 2016}}</ref> == Background == [[Slavery]] began in the [[British North America|English colony]] of [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] in 1619.<ref name=AmslaveryHIST>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery |title=Slavery in America |website=History Vault |publisher=A&E Television Networks, LLC |access-date=13 November 2016}}</ref> It started with the purchase of 20 Africans—not as reported by [[John Rolfe]] from a [[Holland|Dutch]] ship{{efn|Rolfe's reporting the ship as a Dutch ship was intended to hide the fact the ''White Lyon'', under Dutch letters of marque, was a [[privateer]]. This allowed it to attack any [[Spain|Spanish]] or [[Portugal|Portuguese]] ships it came across.<ref name=afrjamesNPS/> The Africans were taken from the Portuguese [[slave ship]] ''San Juan Bautista'' on its way to deliver slaves to [[Mexico]].<ref name=afrjamesNPS/>}}—but rather from an English [[warship]] named the ''White Lyon.''<ref name=afrjamesNPS>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/african-americans-at-jamestown.htm |title=African Americans at Jamestown |website=Historic Jamestowne |publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior |access-date=13 November 2016}}</ref> The Colonists in the [[Virginia Colony]] bought the [[contract]]s of the [[Africa]]ns as [[indentured servants]].