Conclusion

As a freed black man in Boston, you are plagued with the decision to enlist or not to enlist in the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. You are faced with the opportunity to be a part of the 54th Regiment but you will be enlisting without chance of pay and with the possibility of being captured and brought back to slavery. What do you do? Do you enlist and be a part of the all black 54th Regiment and fight for your country? You have important things to consider in this decision such as:

• What happens to your family while you are gone?
• How will they exist without any money coming in?
• How will they exist if you are captured or killed?
• How will you be treated as part of the 54 th regiment?
• How will you be treated at the end of the war?
• If you survive, will you still have fewer rights than your white counterparts?

You must weigh these options very carefully and discuss these with your family. You must decide where you stand. What should you do? Enlist or not enlist?