On April 2nd, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson stood before Congress and issued a declaration of war against Germany. "The world must be made safe for democracy," he stated. The black press used Wilson's declaration to frame the war as a struggle for African American civil rights. Black political leaders believed that if they fought for the war effort, the government would have no choice but to reward them with greater civil rights. Over one million African Americans responded to their draft calls in the hope that they would return to a more equal and fair society. However, they came home to some of the worst racial violence in American history, the Red Summer of 1919. While outwardly it appeared their sacrifice had been in vain, inwardly for
…show more content…
It was the first American unit to be awarded France’s highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre. One hundred and seventy of its men were awarded individual medals, including two who personally won the Croix de Guerre. News of the accomplishments of the Harlem Hellfighters was used by leading civil rights leaders such as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois in their fight for civil rights. While their success on the battlefield would inspire the fight for civil rights, their interactions with the French soldiers and citizens was even more crucial to the changing mindset of African Americans and their determination to be treated equal …show more content…
This day became an unofficial holiday of sorts for all of Harlem. Many black school children were dismissed from school so that they could attend the parade. The parade became a marker of African American service to the nation, a frequent point of reference for those campaigning for civil rights. Herbert Hoover, head of the Commission for Relief in Belgium famously said, “This parade ushered in the Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro”. However, change was far from instantaneous. Much of the white population feared the rise of blacks in society and when the black soldiers returned to America, huge race riots broke out across the country. They occured in over two dozen cities, killed hundreds of black civilians and came to be known as “The Red Summer.” Racial conditions appeared unchanged, leading to the belief the black soldiers fought for nothing, but according to Jeffrey T. Sammons, author and Professor of History at NYU, the Hellfighters had a significant effect on how the black community viewed themselves and the possibility for change in America. Another important aspect to the new mentality of the black man was the emerging “Harlem Renaissance”.
A LINE OR TWO ABOUT HOW IT APPEARED NOTHING CHANGED – THE RED SUMMER ETC END WITH .. because racial conditions didn’t
It was the first American unit to be awarded France’s highest military honor, the Croix de Guerre. One hundred and seventy of its men were awarded individual medals, including two who personally won the Croix de Guerre. News of the accomplishments of the Harlem Hellfighters was used by leading civil rights leaders such as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Du Bois in their fight for civil rights. While their success on the battlefield would inspire the fight for civil rights, their interactions with the French soldiers and citizens was even more crucial to the changing mindset of African Americans and their determination to be treated equal …show more content…
This day became an unofficial holiday of sorts for all of Harlem. Many black school children were dismissed from school so that they could attend the parade. The parade became a marker of African American service to the nation, a frequent point of reference for those campaigning for civil rights. Herbert Hoover, head of the Commission for Relief in Belgium famously said, “This parade ushered in the Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro”. However, change was far from instantaneous. Much of the white population feared the rise of blacks in society and when the black soldiers returned to America, huge race riots broke out across the country. They occured in over two dozen cities, killed hundreds of black civilians and came to be known as “The Red Summer.” Racial conditions appeared unchanged, leading to the belief the black soldiers fought for nothing, but according to Jeffrey T. Sammons, author and Professor of History at NYU, the Hellfighters had a significant effect on how the black community viewed themselves and the possibility for change in America. Another important aspect to the new mentality of the black man was the emerging “Harlem Renaissance”.
A LINE OR TWO ABOUT HOW IT APPEARED NOTHING CHANGED – THE RED SUMMER ETC END WITH .. because racial conditions didn’t