History of Blacks Serving in U. S. Wars
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Section Summary
This section was inspired by three History Channel shows describing the motives, heroism, and disparate treatment of African Americans serving in the Revolution, World War 1 and World War 2.
Because I felt that it would be a disservice to ignore the actions and treatment of Black veterans in America's other conflicts, I also researched the internet for articles and similar evidence for the motives, heroism, and disparate treatment of African Americans in the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Korean War, the Viet Nam War, Persian Gulf War (1st Gulf War), and War in Afghanistan.
My overall impressions are that African Americans:
(1) Distinguished themselves in every conflict.
(2) From the Revolution until at least World War 2:
(a) Were considered untrainable and ignorant.
(b) Were only armed when additional manpower was needed to defeat an enemy.
(c) Were not armed early in conflicts because whites were afraid of rebellion due to slavery and disparate treatment.
(d) Served in segregated units.
(e) Were denied military recognition or received recognition well after their service.
(3) From the Civil War until at least the Korean War, African Americans were:
(a) Trained in the South by racist, white officers.
(b) Targeted frequently for lynchings and racial violence.
(c) Jailed or disciplined at a higher rate.
(4) From the Civil War through Afghanistan, African Americans were:
(a) Sent to fight for the rights of others, while they were still lacking equal rights at home.
(b) Sent to the front lines disproportionately.
(c) Promoted less often.
The Tragic, Forgotten History of Black Military Veterans
During 2015, the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, published a report called "Lynching in America". The report was based on an unprecedentedly thorough survey of American racial violence and terror between 1877 and 1950. , “Lynching in America” tallied four thousand and seventy-five lynchings, at least eight hundred more than any previous count.
The follow-up to “Lynching in America” looked specifically at the treatment of Black veterans during the same 1877 and 1950 period. The new report, “Lynching in America: Targeting Black Veterans,” concludes that, during the same period, “no one was more at risk of experiencing violence and targeted racial terror than black veterans.”
This article from The New Yorker summarizes “Lynching in America: Targeting Black Veterans”. A PDF of the report is included in this section.
Source:
The New Yorker online
By Peter C. Baker
November 27, 2016
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-tragic-forgotten-history-of-black-military-veterans
African American Service and Racial Integration in the U.S. Military
Though full integration of the U.S. military was not established until the middle of the 20th century, African Americans have served in American conflicts since before the United States was a free nation. Over time, the presence of black soldiers, sailors, regiments, and squadrons would grow until the value and importance of African American servicemen and women could no longer be ignored by leaders bent on resisting change.
Source:
U.S. Army
By Dr. Paul-Thomas Ferguson, Joint Munitions Command
February 23, 2021