Give and take

In order to progress in the world, everyone must learn to compromise and work to a solution together. Whether you are a slave or a congressman, a businessman or a doctor, everyone must know that they can't get everything they want in one sitting. It is acceptable to face some discrimination in order to gain advancement. The reason for this is because if you advance it will create an opportunity to show everyone what you are capable of. If you are able to show people what you can do then slowly the discrimination will disappear. To the contrary, if you ask for all or nothing then you will most likely get nothing because no one has seen what you can do. Respect and advancement is earned, not given, and asking for all or nothing takes away the opportunity to earn your respect. It takes away a person ability to prove them selves.

Silas and his master

In the case of Silas and his master, Silas could not be freed and he could not fight in the war because it was against the law.  But Silas still accompanied his master to the front lines and at one point saved his life. After the war Silas was freed from slavery and his master was said to have given Silas and the other slaves land to put a church on. Although it was figured out that Silas never received any land personally, he did establish a church on his own, and the other slaves indeed received land to run a church on. Silas must have faced some discrimination being on the battlefield, he could have just as easily escaped like many other slaves. But he submitted himself to some discrimination in order to gain advancement. After the war he was able to build and run a church, not in the north, but in his home state. 

In the case of many African Americans in the north who served in the war, it was very much acceptable to submit to some discrimination. The reason for this is because blacks were free men in the north, but they were not equal to white men. The opportunity to serve in the war was a great one, even though it was not alongside whites and they didn't get equal pay as whites. It gave blacks the opportunity and ability to prove that they were of equal value compared to the whites. It gave them a platform to show that they can fight just as hard and that they were just as strong as any white man. It gave them the ability to earn respect among both other blacks and whites. They had to submit to discrimination but what they got out of this opportunity in the long run was well worth it. It made people realize that blacks were just as strong, prideful, and resilient as any white man. 

In order to get something you must give up something. African Americans in the civil war had to submit to discrimination but they were getting something far greater, the opportunity to show the rest of the country that they were equal. The blacks in the north were free but that was all they were. The opportunity to fight in the war, was an opportunity to fight for not only the freedom of slaves in the south, but for the equality of all  blacks in the whole country. It was not fair that African Americans were subject of prejudice and discrimination, and no one in the world should be treated in that manner. But if they chose to not submit a little in exchange for advancement, then nothing would change and they would always be treated the same way.

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigation/chandler-tintype/