Final answer:
Frederick Douglass and other black abolitionists lobbied President Abraham Lincoln to allow emancipated African American men to fight in the Civil War. Their efforts, combined with the strategic military benefits and international pressures, led to the historic enlistment of close to 200,000 African American soldiers, which significantly contributed to the Union's victory and advancement towards emancipation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Who Lobbied for African American Soldiers in the Civil War?
During the American Civil War, black abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass were instrumental in lobbying President Abraham Lincoln to allow emancipated men to fight. Douglass, among others, challenged Lincoln to address the core issue of the Confederacy, which was its dependency on slavery. This push, alongside the strategic military reasons and international diplomatic pressures, influenced Lincoln to consider emancipation as a means to cripple the South's war efforts and to bolster the Union army with new recruits. By 1863, Lincoln began to see the necessity of employing African American soldiers as a war measure to aid in the Union victory and to approach the eradication of slavery – a decision that would eventually lead to the issue of the Emancipation Proclamation, a significant step towards abolishing slavery.
In addition to Douglas's influencing rhetoric, the spontaneous actions of slaves who fled their conditions to Union camps, and the demonstrations of their ability and willingness to fight, were overwhelmingly clear. They did not just wait for policies; they took direct action that forced the hand of the military and the government. When they were eventually allowed to serve, close to 200,000 black men, both freeborn and former slaves, fought honorably in separate African American regiments during the war, proving their value and commitment to the cause. Their bravery and sacrifices were pivotal in changing the tide of public opinion and military policy regarding African American soldiers.