July 17, 1862 – Congress authorized President, Abraham Lincoln to accept Blacks for military service. Congress passed the Second Confiscation Act, which freed the slaves of all rebels. The Militia Act of 1862, 12 Stat. 597 passed in 1862, was legislation enacted by the 37th United States Congress during the American Civil War that allowed African-Americans to participate as war laborers and soldiers for the first time since the Militia Act of 1792. The act created controversy, however, praised by many abolitionists activists as a first step toward equality, it stipulated that the Black recruits could be soldiers or manual laborers. Although Black soldiers proved themselves as reputable soldiers, discrimination in pay and other areas remained widespread.