In the context of the excerpt you provided, “they” who “are proving themselves to be men” refers to African American soldiers. The speaker, Hannah Johnson, is arguing that African American men are demonstrating their capabilities and worth through their participation in the war and their pursuit of education, contrasting their efforts with those of white Union soldiers and Southern slavers.
Who are “they” who “are proving themselves to be men”?
white Union soldiers
Southern slavers
African American soldiers
“Now Mr Lincoln don't you think you ought to stop this thing and make them do the same by the colored men. They have lived in idleness all their lives on stolen labor, but are so furious because [colored people] are proving themselves to be men, such as have come away and got some education. It must not be so.”
–Hannah Johnson
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