17. What does Shaw tell the general he wants his men to be able to do?

They were brave as they fought for their own freedom

Explanation:

During the early Civil war Black men were not believed to be good soldiers. Black abolitionists wanted to dis prove it by conducting Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts where they made Shaw as the commanding officer of the full Black army. Those days it was believed that Black was born to be slaves of whites.

When the generals said that the blacks where not strong enough to fight and they were not as good as the whites Shaw said that the Blacks learn faster than the whites and they will fight the best as they are more brave as they fought for their own freedom.