1. Darren Miller
His-240

2. Some six weeks after the United States formally
entered the First World War, the U.S Congress
passed the Selective Service Act on May 18,
1917, giving the U.S. president the power to
draft soldiers. The act provided an opportunity
for young Black men to join the military and to
fill their patriotic duty. Many of these black
Americans saw the war as a chance to show
their loyalty to the United States and her White
people. In 1917, 2.3 million Black men
registered for the draft. Arriving at their local
draft boards, The African-Americans found that
they were composed of entirely white men. (1)
When they did register with ideals of proving
their ability on the battlefields they found that
the majority of blacks were used as laborers.
The General Staff in the army maliciously
branded the Blacks as having lesser ability than
the Whites.

3. W.E.B Du Bois was one of the most
respected Black leaders before and
during the Great War. In his famous
editorial, “Close Ranks” Du Bois asked
“should Black Americans enlist in their
country’s service and fight for freedom
in Europe when they themselves denied
freedom at home?” losing their lives to
preserve freedom, surely they would
now receive it”. (2) He promoted racial
equality before, during and after the war
effort.
•
"Let us, while the war lasts,
forget our special
grievances and close ranks
shoulder to shoulder with
our white fellow citizens ...
fighting for democracy. We
make no ordinary sacrifice,
but we make it gladly and
willingly”.

4. Freedom isn’t a word that
African-Americans have
heard since the forbidding of
slavery. Southern Blacks
hoped their willingness to
defend their country would
end the Jim Crow law. They
fought for equal status and
treatment from their
government. By fighting for
an opportunity to validate
their loyalty, patriotism, and
sheer determination for equal
status in the United States ;
they had to chose to support
that same nation that was
denying them full citizenship
and equal rights. They clung
onto their beliefs that fighting
for America would get them
equal status after the war.

5. “Jim Crow” refers to a system developed in the late 1800s and early
1900s to support white supremacy and oppress black citizens.
Although there were many laws that discriminated throughout the
country, the Jim Crow system was only found in the South. Through
racial segregation, blacks and whites were kept apart as much as
possible. (3)Jim Crow laws continued for the Black Servicemen in the
war.
Laws forced blacks and whites to be separate from each other in a
variety of public accommodations.
•There were separate black and white rest rooms, drinking fountains,
and waiting rooms.
•Blacks sat in the balcony of movie theaters or in separate theaters
for blacks only.
•Blacks could not order food at the front of restaurants. Many
restaurants simply refused to serve blacks at all.
•Blacks and whites went to county fairs on different days.
•Blacks were not allowed to use public libraries (4)

6. During World War I, African-American soldiers faced discrimination
in training camps. The government segregated blacks and white
training camps. Some Southern states were so concerned about
Blacks training in their area that they pressed President Wilson to not
allow the Black soldiers to train in their states. There was an
abundance of Southern White civilians complaining of having blacks
from other states stationed in their training camps. The War
Department announced that no more than one-fourth of the Black
trainees could live in Army camps in the U.S. (5) Black soldiers were
often treated horrific and they went for long periods of time not
having the proper clothing. There were also reports of blacks
receiving old Civil War uniforms and being forced to sleep outside in
pitched tents instead of the warmer, sturdier barracks that Whites
received. Some were forced to eat outside in the cold winter months,
while numerous others went without a change of clothes for months
at a time. Treatment of black trainees was deplorable, and after

7. One the more powerful effects of
World War I on African-Americans
came from the Great Migration.
Southern rural farm laborers moved to
the north and west in search of higher
wages in industrial jobs and better
social and political opportunities. This
Great Migration led to the accelerated
growth of black urban communities in
places such as New York, Chicago,
St. Louis, and Los Angeles. The Great
Migration reshaped Black America as
never seen before. (7)
The war itself provided Southern
Blacks who moved North with
employment at the North’s many
factories in helping build the
necessary weapons and other much
needed war supplies. Northern
industries were running 24 hours a
day and they needed strong men to
run them. The North’s labor pool was
away fighting the war. Economic and
patriotism helped motivate the

8. The first black troops who went
overseas, they went into
service labor units. Despite all
the strong and crucial work they
provided, African American
stevedores received the worst
treatment of all. The term
"stevedores" means placing of
people who were physically or
mentally unfit to be fighting
men. (8)They were looked
upon as useless to others
soldiers. Because the work that
these units did was absolutely
invaluable to the war effort,
commanders promised special
privileges in return for high
results. With such motivation,
the soldiers would often work
for twenty-four hours straight
unloading ships and
transporting men and materiel
to and from various bases,
ports, and railroad depots.
Unfortunately the White
commanders weren’t true to
their word. As the war
continued and soldiers went to
the battlefields, most found
their units were responsible for
digging trenches, removing
unexploded shells from fields,
clearing disabled equipment
and barbed wire, and burying
soldiers killed in action. (9)

9. The Hellfighters were the first all-black
fighting unit to arrive in France. Their
motto was "God damn, let's go." Years
later, a soldier, whose name has been
lost to history, recounted his march to
the front, "There were a whole lot of
blind men, and one-legged men, and
one-armed men, and sick men, all
coming this way. I asked a white man
where all these wounded men come
from? And he says, 'Nigger, they're
coming from right where you're going
the day after tomorrow.'" (10) Whereas
African American heroics usually went
unnoticed, well over one hundred
soldiers of the regiment received
French medals, including the first two
Americans, Corporal Henry Johnson
and Private Needham Roberts to be
awarded the coveted French Croix de
Guerre, which was one the highest
military medals for bravery in combat.

10. When the war ended on
November 11, 1918 returning
African-Americans were happy
and optimistic that their patriotic
sacrifices would have a positive
impact on race relations and
help tear down the walls of
segregation. They returned
gallantly from overseas as they
were excited to see the joyful
reactions of their heroism.
Sadly the fight for freedom they
gave their country didn’t return
to them at home in White
America. Nothing much
changed for equality and in
some ways even worse.

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1.
Mjagkij, N. (2011). Loyalty in time of Trial: The African American Experience during World War I. United Kingsom:
Rowan & Littlefield. African-Americans in World War I. (). Retrieved from http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/african-americansoldiers-world-war-i-92nd-and-93rd-divisions
2.
Mjagkij, N. (2011). Loyalty in time of Trial: The African American Experience during World War I. United Kingsom:
Rowan & Littlefield. African-Americans in World War I. (). Retrieved from http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/african-americansoldiers-world-war-i-92nd-and-93rd-divisions
3.
Major Hardeman. Special Adjutant to Secretary of War, War Department as published in Emmet, J.Scott ’Scott’s Official
History of the American Negro in World War I” War Department
4.
Woodland, Jan. Liverpool University "How did Participation in America's Wars affect Black Americans?” The World War I
Document Archive.
5.
Mjagkij, N. (2011). Raising a Jim Crow Army: The Mobilization and Turning of African-American Troops. In Loyalty in the
Tome of Trial (pp. 75-76). United Kingdom: Rowan & Littlefield.
6.
Major Hardeman. Special Adjutant to Secretary of War, War Department as published in Emmet, J.Scott ’Scott’s Official
History of the American Negro in World War I” War Department
7.
13.
Black Migration http://www.pbs.org/jazz/places/faces_migration.htm
8.
Belluscio, L. (2011). African-American World War I Veterans. Retrieved from
http://www.leroypennysavernews.com/LynneBelluscioArticles/WWI_Veterans.htm
9.
Woodland, Jan. Liverpool University "How did Participation in America's Wars affect Black Americans?” The World War I
Document Archive.
10.
The Harlem Hellfighters and Henry Johnson Fighting in WW I. (). Retrieved from
http://forloveofliberty.org/overview/Harlem_Hellfighters.html