Shifting Terminology for Enslaved People

As the Civil War transformed the legal and social status of Black Americans, the language used to describe them evolved as well. In 1861, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler claimed to have coined the phrase “Contraband of War” to define the legal-military status of enslaved people who reached Union lines. The ancient term “Freedmen” gained new prominence following President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The creation of the Bureau of Colored Troops by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton formalized the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), who enlisted in large numbers after the Proclamation. An analysis of references to these terms in Newspaper.com archives shows when each description peaked in popularity across American newspapers.