Forging a new identity
Subtitle: the costs and benefits of diversity in Civil War combat units for black slaves and freemen
By: Dora L. Costa, Matthew E. Kahn.
Contributors: Kahn, Matthew E., 1966-; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- no. 11013.; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research) -- working paper no. 11013.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 32
Subjects: African American soldiers -- Social conditions -- 19th century
Description: "By the end of the Civil War, 186,017 black men had fought for the Union Army and roughly three-quarters of these men were former slaves. Because most of the black soldiers who served were illiterate farm workers, the war exposed them to a much broader world. The war experience of these men depended upon their peers, their commanding officers, and where their regiment toured. These factors affected the later life outcomes of black slaves and freemen. This paper documents both the short run costs and long run benefits of participating in a diverse environment. In the short run the combat unit benefited from company heterogeneity as this built social capital and minimized shirking, but in the long run men's human capital and acquisition of information was best served by fighting in heterogeneous companies"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: "December 2004."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-25).

Also available in PDF from the NBER world wide web site (www.nber.org).