But World War I marked a turning point for colored soldiers, not only on the battlefield but when they returned home as well. It was overall a good thing for them. In the end over six hundred African Americans were selected as officers which was a rank they could not hold efore the war. Allthough still segregated against and suffering extreme discrimination black soldiers made big improvement for race issues during this war. Race discrimination was preasant in World War 1.
When Roosevelt signed the federal order for the Fair Employment Practices in the defense industries that called for equal opportunity and prohibited discrimination, the new changed caused a lot of problems. Trouble really came when 12 African American workers became welders, whites started a riot because they wanted African American workers to remain in inferior roles. African American workers were then bombarded with racial slurs and violence, which caused some to leave the war towns to protect themselves and their families. Once again proving that the United States was involved in a war for “freedom” that its own citizens were not able to experience fully. The War touched on so many more topics that are all important to the lives of Americans in the past as well as the present.
Black soldiers, who continued to serve in segregated units, were involved in protest against racial injustice on the home front and abroad. The introduction of black troops left a profound effect on Europe. More than Page 4 350,000 African Americans served in segregated units during World War I, mostly as support troops. Several units saw action alongside French soldiers fighting against the Germans, and 171 African Americans were awarded the French Croix de Guerre or Legion of Honor for their heroic actions. In response to the mistreatment and discrimination from the black community, several hundred African American men received officers` training at Des Moines Iowa.
Blacks had recently returned from WWII, were they fought to preserve human rights. When blacks fought over seas they came to the realization that they did not have equal rights in the country, which they called home. The NAACP and other black civil rights organizations were platforms where blacks could voice their disapproval with racism. The NAACP?s membership grew 900% from 1941-45(Tyson, Oct. 13). Separate was not equal, and blacks were going to tell the world of the atrocities which were going on in the United States.
Baldwin Blames Mistreatment of Black Veterans for Increasing Racial Unrest Building a case against racial injustice, Baldwin describes how many blacks joined the U.S. military and were sent to fight in Europe during World War II, although the battles they returned to at home were sometimes worse than the war itself. In ?Down at the Cross,? Baldwin zeroes in on the discrimination against black veterans as the final blow causing many of them to hate their own country and become militant against whites. Historical accounts generally support his argument, even though Baldwin doesn?t speak to a few important points that differ from his personal perspectives on this issue. Overall, Baldwin builds a strong case for the need for social change in America to wipe out this type of racial outrage, especially in the case of black war veterans.
Brown vs. Board of Education Ever since the founding of the United States of America, blacks have continuously been considered inferior to the white race. In the year of 1954, a substantial advancement in the fight for equality for blacks was prevalent. Countless prominent leaders of the United States realized the injustices that the blacks were forced to endure daily. Stated blatantly in the Declaration of Independence, it is said that all men are created equally. Disregarding the opinions of the men in the South, people began to realize that it was time to truly consider every man who is a citizen of the United States as equals.
The 14th amendment granted citizenship to all who were born in the United States and the 15th amendment prohibited the government from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race and color. The increase in the Black population caused jobs to become competitive, the advancement of Blacks made some become business owners and others obtained education. This caused the White Elites to have some concerns and to compete, which they weren’t too thrilled about. The lynching of Sam Hose and the display and consumption of his body caused W.E.B. Du Bois, and others, to realize that they were not cared for and that Blacks as a whole were merely nothing.
In the movie Glory, the scene where Colonel Shaw reads a letter form the Confederate Congress in front his regiment troops, does a good job of portraying how African American troops had harsher treatment than whites when captured. It starts off by Colonel Shaw reading the letter and saying, “Any negro taken in federal uniform will be summarily put to death.” He then informs his regiment that full discharge will be available in the morning. In another article from the Civil War Academy titled “The Confederacy Refused to Recognize African Americans as Soldiers” it states, “Black soldiers who were fortunate enough to survive their initial capture were often treated more harshly than were white Union soldiers.” This backs up what Colonel Shaw said in the movie because white soldiers were treated as prisoners of war and African American soldiers were harshly punished or executed. The quote from the article helps prove that the movie was accurate in showing how African American soldier were treated by punishment of the Confederate
Abroad, Black soldiers suffered from racial prejudice still; they ended up doing all the menial work and suffered many insults from whites, including sometimes their commanding officers. As well as in the fighting forces, black Americans played an important part in the home front. By the end of 1944 around 2 million were working in war factories and received better wages than they had had before. As the war was being fought against Nazis, this raised the expectations of many black Americans. It had been a war not just against Hitler but against Hitlerism, and the Double ‘V’ campaign stood for victory at home and abroad.
The war ended up destroying empires and economies and forever changing all of Europe. The allied powers had defeated the central powers, therefor leading to the fall of four empires and a huge change in the map of Europe. There are plenty of reasons on why World War I was so different from all the past conflicts. For example it was the first time in nearly one hundred years that all major countries where fighting. Another reason on why it was a different type of war was of the fact that the over sea had possessions.