Comprehension
Before Joseph Glatthaar's "Forged in Battle," there had been several exceptional studies focusing on Black soldiers and their White commanders during the Civil War. However, Glatthaar's work distinguishes itself by utilizing a substantial collection of soldier letters and diaries, including rare documents from Black soldiers, and focusing on the interactions between Black and White soldiers within Black regiments. The book’s title succinctly encapsulates Glatthaar’s thesis: the shared perils faced by Black troops and their White officers in combat forged bonds of loyalty and respect between them.
Glatthaar thoroughly examines the government's biased treatment of Black soldiers, focusing on disparities in pay, promotion opportunities, medical care, and job assignments. He underscores the relentless efforts of Black soldiers and their officers to secure combat roles, despite army policies that largely confined Black units to rear-echelon positions and labor battalions. As a result, although Black units had a combat death rate that was only one-third of that of White units, their mortality rate from disease—a major cause of death during the war—was twice as high. Nevertheless, the valor and effectiveness demonstrated by several Black units in combat gradually won the respect of initially skeptical or hostile White soldiers. As one White officer remarked, "They have fought their way into the respect of all the army."
However, in his attempt to illustrate the extent of this shift in attitude, Glatthaar seems to overstate the prewar racism of the White men who became officers in Black regiments. He claims that “virtually all of them held powerful racial prejudices” before the war. While this might be true for those who joined Black units for personal gain, it misrepresents the many abolitionists who became officers in these regiments. These abolitionists, who had spent years fighting against the pervasive racial prejudice in American society, eagerly participated in this military experiment with the hope that it would advance African Americans' freedom and postwar civil equality. By contemporary standards of racial equality, their paternalism might be seen as racist. However, to describe their attitudes as "powerful racial prejudices" is to apply modern standards to a different historical context, which can lead to misinterpretation of their motives and actions.
Question: 1

According to the passage, which of the following best describes Joseph Glatthaar’s contribution in "Forged in Battle"?

Updated On: Aug 20, 2024
  • It focuses exclusively on the discriminatory treatment of Black soldiers in the Civil War.
  • It argues that the government's discriminatory treatment of Black soldiers was justified.
  • It is the first study to extensively use letters and diaries from Black soldiers during the Civil War.
  • It emphasizes the positive attitudes of White officers toward Black soldiers during the Civil War.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

The Correct Option is (C):It is the first study to extensively use letters and diaries from Black soldiers during the Civil War.
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Question: 2

Based on the passage, which statement accurately reflects Glatthaar’s thesis in "Forged in Battle"?

Updated On: Aug 20, 2024
  • The loyalty and friendship between White officers and Black soldiers were undermined by mutual distrust and hostility.
  • Mutual dangers faced in combat fostered loyalty, friendship, and respect between White officers and Black soldiers.
  • Glatthaar argues that White officers and Black soldiers were generally indifferent to each other's well-being during combat.
  • Glatthaar asserts that White officers and Black soldiers were unable to develop mutual respect due to racial prejudices.
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The Correct Option is (B):Mutual dangers faced in combat fostered loyalty, friendship, and respect between White officers and Black soldiers.
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Question: 3

According to the passage, what does Glatthaar suggest about the combat and mortality rates of Black soldiers during the Civil War?

Updated On: Aug 20, 2024
  • Black soldiers had a higher combat death rate but lower disease mortality compared to White units.
  • Black soldiers had a lower combat death rate but higher disease mortality compared to White units.
  • Black soldiers had higher combat and disease mortality rates compared to White units.
  • Black soldiers had lower combat and disease mortality rates compared to White units.
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

The Correct Option is (B):Black soldiers had a lower combat death rate but higher disease mortality compared to White units.
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Question: 4

Which of the following statements about the attitudes of White officers in Black regiments before the Civil War does Glatthaar likely disagree with?

Updated On: Aug 20, 2024
  • Many officers in Black regiments were abolitionists who fought against racial prejudice before the war.
  • The paternalistic attitudes of officers toward African Americans were justified in the context of the time.
  • Officers who became involved in the military experiment hoped to advance the cause of African American freedom and equality.
  • Officers who joined Black units for promotion or self-serving reasons held powerful racial prejudices.
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The Correct Option is (D):Officers who joined Black units for promotion or self-serving reasons held powerful racial prejudices.
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