Although black soldiers have served in every American war, they weren't formally included in the regular US Army until an act of Congress in 1866. Their regiments—the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry—became known as Buffalo Soldiers, a nickname originally conceived as a term of respect by the American Indians they often fiercely fought in battle. Eventually, the nickname came to be used for all black soldiers, even after the military was integrated and the units disbanded.

Located in Houston's Museum District, the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum is the only museum in the nation primarily dedicated to preserving the legacy of African American soldiers, ranging from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War. Their rich history is too often forgotten when the stories of American conflicts are told. Former slaves and Civil War veterans joined the original regiments, and the soldiers served their country even while they weren't afforded equal rights. The museum features galleries of artifacts from various wartime eras, a historical reenactment, and preserved interviews with the last Buffalo Soldiers, who served in World War II.