The Struggle Of African-Americans After World War I

Before WORLD WAR I, military service represented a source of black pride. Black educators, clergymen, and the press frequently referred to Negro heroes of America’s past wars. After the Civil War, the U.S, Army maintained four regular Negro regiments –the 9th and 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th Infantry. These units included veterans of the civil war and the frontier Indian fighting regiments. Retired sergeants often became respected, conservative leaders in their communities. This history set a foundation for black support and involvement in America’s future wars.

During World War One, as America continued to grow in numbers, much of the new American population was made up of immigrants. America was still working on the path to grant freedom to all who considered the United States their home. Many immigrants primarily came to America in search of true freedom and to gain opportunities that they otherwise could not have access to in their homeland. World War One; however, made it extremely difficult for some immigrant Americans and African Americans to receive the true freedom that they came in search for. Not only did WWI make it difficult for certain groups to live in America, it also gave rise to contradictions between the language of freedom and the reality of restrictions made on individual freedoms. Immigrants were being treated poorly and protecting the U.S. from the enemy was becoming more important than providing all Americans with the individual freedoms that they had come to the U.S. in search for. On top of that anti-immigration movements were intensifying. The freedom the United States had promised to many, was either being limited or simply not being given.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new na-tion, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal,” a quote by America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, directly recalling how equality was the catalyst for the conception of America. It’s a universal right that should be known by all, but it was barely an option in our country for the African American faction almost a century ago. Chained, chastised and condemned, the African American had to surpass through radical odds to get to a mediocre amount of respect. When World War I first began, many citizens of America saw it as a seemingly distant European conflict that they couldn’t be bothered with.

For many African Americans, the war offered an opportunity to get out of the cycle of crushing rural poverty. Black joined the military in large numbers, escaping a decade of Depression and tenant farming in the South and Midwest. Yet, like the rest of America in the 1940s, the armed forces were segregated. The Army accepted black enlistees but created separate black infantry regiments and assigned white commanders to them. Of the more than 2.5 million African Americans who registered for the draft in WWII, about 900,000 served in the Army. But about only 50,000 African Americans were allowed to serve in combat.

World War I marked a drastic change in African American history. The war began as a conflict between the Europeans and soon became an event with revolutionary consequences, which would have a big affect on the social, economic, and political future for the black community. The war impacted the black community of Cleveland greatly whether you were male or female, soldier or civilian. The war began in 1914 and ended in 1918, which marked one of the most dynamic periods for the African American community because of migration, racial violence, and political protest. African Americans challenged the American Government, demanded their rights as American citizens, and demanded equality both in subtle and dramatic ways. We should further our

The impact of African Americans during the American Revolution could be noted on both sides of the War. This is based on their want for freedom. Many took advantage of the revolutionary crisis and

It helped spark the Civil Rights Movement for freedom from discrimination and segregation from white societies. African Americans felt like they deserved more than physical freedom, but also deserved the right to equal treatment amongst white communities. Nevertheless, even when African American Soldiers gave more than their lives for the war against slavery, they were hardly given the respect and honor they deserved. African American soldiers proved themselves to the Union and its people numerous times and even earned the respect and recognition of the white Union army. Even to this day, African American soldiers are still underappreciated; they deserve to receive much more respect and honor to this day. We have numerous memorials of white soldiers, but there is hardly any memorials recognizing the valor of African

In a memoir titled World War I as I Saw It: The Memoir of an African American, it displays black heroism during a fight on September twenty sixth. At roughly 11 A.M. the men were commanded “Over Boys Over” and the first round of black men ran through No Mans Land, with their bayonets drawn. The Germans fell back and left their first trench. And in Bruce Wright’s words this was “the begingning of the most fierce struggle that I ever was in… But at the command those black boys seemed to all come out of the trence at once, all shouting at the top of their voices in a sort of weird ‘eh joa.’”

The American Civil War was ending and African Americans gained freedom, freedom from slavery and to live life as common folk. However, being set ‘free’ was not enough for African Americans to really experience what freedom was really like. Respect and rights of citizenship are by themselves weak in the ability to survive without also obtaining economic power. This paper will examine the progression of African Americans after the Civil War of 1865.

The story of African American soldiers in the American Civil War is often a forgotten one. The history of the war is usually presented as white Northerners versus white Southerners as blacks waited on the sidelines as their fate was determined. This portrayal is highly inaccurate considering over 180,000 African American troops fought in the war and eventually obtained their own regiments under the United States Colored Troops as a part of the Union Army. Composed on May, 22, 1863, the USCT strengthened the Union Army’s numbers and contributed significantly to battles such as the Skirmish at Island Mound and Fort Wagner. Even with their contributions, African American soldiers are often overlooked in favor of other narratives. However, black historian George Washington Williams was one of the first to write the history of black troops today. His belief was that the history of black troops and their valor were a major contribution to American Civil War history. While controversial at the time, this view is not uncommon today and historians have continued to study the significance of black troops. Gregory J. W. Urwin and other historians recently wrote a critique on the treatment of black soldiers, acknowledging atrocities against them were committed often. Urwin tries to provide a honest history to the brutality of the black solider.

After the Battle of Long Island, “Many Patriot soldiers had not been wearing shoes, socks, or jackets. They were also in a great need of blankets” (). If Patriot soldiers did not die from fighting, then they most likely would have died of these conditions. Also, in the winter of 1775-1776, many soldiers began to run away, as well of their terms of service ended, so they went home. Because of this, the Continental Army greatly dwindled in size, and George Washington needed more troops. If more troops weren’t sent soon, then the war for Americans was as good as done. As a result of this need for more soldiers, African Americans began to enlist, as “they believed in the Patriot cause or they needed money”. Thanks to these African American soldiers, the Continental Army was able to reform, and go on to win many victories, which ultimately led the Americans to winning the Revolution. If it weren’t for these African American colonists, then the entire army would have fallen apart. If they really were passive and did not do this, then the Revolution would have taken a very different course, as the Americans were almost ready to give up due to lack of troops. The aggressive actions of these soldiers in battle helped the Americans win the war, and come out on top over

With the various ways slavery was spread throughout the geography of the United States, these variations formed different cultures and conflicting laws on slavery. Due to inconsistent systems of slavery, it resulted in the Civil War, dividing the North and the South over the issues of slavery. In the end of the Civil War, many individuals with every sense of positive intentions gave opportunities and support to freed slaves developing into beneficial members for the nation. The United States came together as a nation to solve the issues of slavery, freedom, and the reorganization problems particular to African Americans. It is seen throughout our history all efforts to solve these issues but sadly African Americans still face many of the these problems today. These problems and issues of the 20th century needed to be solved by the leadership of African Americans, for their African American community. W.E.B Du Bois is a tremendous example of an African American leader for what was best for the United States at that time.

As of the mid-19th century and on was when African Americans and women were beginning to gain somewhat equal rights or were still disputing them. It is also well know that both have suffered in vastly different manners, but in some cases are very similar in certain struggles. African American men and women had to survive the terrors of the Ku Klux Klan in the southern states, managing life with the Black Code looming over their every move. They were basically fighting for something that a lot of people take for granted, their right to live as a regular citizen. White women on the other hand had their fair share of discrimination as well, when it came to labor, labor organizations and, equal wages.

About 180,000 African American people comprised 163 units that served in the Union Army, during the time of the Civil War, and many more African American people had served in the Union Navy. Both the free African-Americans and the runaway slaves had joined the fight. On the date of July 17, in the year of 1862, the U. S. Congress had passed two very important acts that would allow the enlistment of many African Americans, but the official enrollment had occurred only after the September, 1862, issuance of the, Emancipation Proclamation. In general, most white soldiers and officers, had believed that most of the black men, who had served in the Civil War, lacked the courage, and the will to fight

The Civil War was a massive milestone in American History. This war started in 1861 and lasted four years. It was between the Union and the Confederacy over their differences and problems they created. The consequences the nation faced due to the demolition of the Civil War, was terrifying. Then the Reconstruction era was born to restore, reinstate, and unite the United States as one. During the Reconstruction of 1865 through 1867, African American lives were impacted economically because they were given few rights and their resources were limited, socially because they wanted to be given an ordinary lifestyle, and politically because they weren’t allowed to be joined or linked with the government.