Du Bois 'Returning Soldiers'

In Du Bois' "Returning Soldiers", he describes how the black community's sacrifice and unity during WWI would translate over to fighting for democracy within the United States. The third discussion question from Miles' presentation on "Returning Soldiers" asks; "Do you believe that the effects of WWI and its returning African American soldiers played a role in the conception of the New Negro Movement? If so, how?" I believe that it certainly helped the growth of the Harlem Renaissance, due to the fact that an increased emphasis on racial pride emerged in the aftermath of WWI.

During WWI, many African Americans were moving up to northern states in order to relocate to more industrial areas. However, this was also because of the increased

oppression the black community was facing in southern states. Du Bois states, "It organizes industry to cheat us. It cheats us out of our land; it cheats us out of our labor. It confiscates our savings. It reduces our wages." (4) Du Bois clearly has disillusionment toward the state of America at this point, especially in southern states. African Americans were still under massive oppression, with lynching being rampant throughout parts of the United States, which is contradictory to the values of democracy and freedom, according to Du Bois. However, this story was written in 1919, which was also the year WWI ended, as well as the emergence of many African American artists through the Harlem Renaissance. There is a possibility that the end of WWI could have been a catalyst for the Harlem Renaissance, and Du Bois shows that it could be a possibility through the use of racial pride in his piece.

I think that by Du Bois addressing this hypocrisy in this piece actually shows the increased racial pride of that era. After WWI, especially, the African American community can fight back oppression through use of expression, whether it would be from civil rights or art. This is due to the oppression the black community faced during this time period. Disillusionment after WWI played a huge role in the Harlem Renaissance, especially with the rise of modernism. Modernism combined with racial pride ultimately led to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance.

Du Bois states, "Make way for Democracy! We saved it in France, and by the Great Jehovah, we will save it in the United States of America, or know the reason why." (5) Du Bois heavily emphasizes that, despite hypocrisy and discrimination within the United States, that racial pride will help the fight for equality. African Americans fighting in WWI were not only fighting for America, but for equal rights and unity among the black community. With that being said, the fight against the oppression of a culture can contribute to new movements, which include the Harlem Renaissance. As one of the key writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Du Bois showed the disillusionment and racial pride through his piece "Returning Soldiers", caused by the black community's involvement in WWI.