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>> henceforth shall this day take rank with the 4th of july. henceforth it becomes the date of a new and glorious era in the history of american liberty. now we'll see if lincoln is as good as his word. >> the emancipation proclamation and the militia act paved the way for lincoln to fulfill one of frederick douglass' goals -- allowing black soldiers to fight for their own freedom. douglass himself recruits 100 men to join the new 54th massachusetts regiment, including his son, lewis. >> right shoulder. shift arms. >> the governor of massachusetts chooses robert gould shaw to lead the regiment...

>> robert gould shaw, a massachusetts regimental officer, he's coming face-to-face with the human cost of war, and so he's wondering, what's the point of all this carnage?oint of all this suffering? are these men gonna die in vain? ♪ ♪ >> mutilating corpses, shaw? >> mothers need something to remember their sons by. what the hell are they all dying for? these deaths should mean something more. they have to. >> people like shaw begin to think, "well, this war, in order to be meaningful, in order to be something that was worth fighting, has to achieve fundamental change in american society, ...

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