African-Americans And The Civil War

African American and white soldiers (Buyenlarge/Getty Images / Courtesy of Life)

In April 1961, Charleston, S.C., commemorated the 100th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. But at the same time, a contemporary war was under way — in the form of the civil rights movement. While white Charlestonians gathered to cheer the fireworks and re-enact the assault on Fort Sumter, certain aspects of the war, i.e. slavery, were largely overshadowed.

On Tuesday, April 12, Charleston will mark the sesquicentennial of the first shots of the war. For some, it's an opportunity to remember all facets of the story. All Things Considered host Melissa Block traveled to Charleston in advance of the 150th anniversary and found that the war is still a source of debate and strong emotions. Listen to the story on Friday's show.

Meanwhile, Life is commemorating African-Americans and the Civil War with a gallery on their site. In addition to many other anniversary photos, these tell the story of the minority population that was, in many ways, at the very crux of the Civil War.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.