World War I and World War II both had significant social, economic, and political impacts on the lives of African Americans and brought enormous change within American society. Many African Americans viewed the war as an opportunity to fight for their country in exchange for equal citizenship rights at home. Unfortunately this was achieved through neither WWI nor WWII despite the irony of the US fighting a war for democracy abroad when discrimination existed on the home front. The central themes explored in which African American lives have been touched by the World wars are migration, military segregation, racial violence and political power. It is evident that although WWI and WWII did not amount to the momentous leap forward that African Americans desired in the pre-war years, the events undoubtedly had profound impacts on the lives of African Americans and ultimately paved the way for the Civil rights movement. WWI was initially viewed as a European war, so far removed from the lives of African Americans. Though as the US declared war on Germany in 1917, African Americans optimistically saw an opportunity to assert their rights as citizens, demand equality and prove their loyalty through enlisting and fighting for their country. This was supported by a number of notable Black activists including W.E.B Du bois who urged African Americans to ‘close ranks’ with the whites. One of the lasting impacts of both world wars was the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the industrialised and urban North, which dramatically shifted the geographical centre of African American population and changed the racial balance of the country. War related industries such as weapon production grew exponentially in the... ... middle of paper ... ... Though both wars had a significant influence on the lives of African Americans it was also a period of disillusionment, not the transformative years that would mark the end of freedom struggles in which was hoped. Nevertheless the war years allowed African Americans to make remarkable strides ahead in terms of military service, socio-economics and politics. The northward shift provided African Americans with better job opportunities, greater prosperity and with that came greater health. More importantly war, reminded African Americans of the substandard citizenship that they endured. Those who fought overseas were given a glimpse of the respect and equality that they should be entitled to back at home. The events and turmoil experienced in these years would be the catalyst for the civil rights movement one that is momentous in the history of African Americans.
Many of the African American soldiers wanted to offer their skills in the war but they could not because of their skin color they had to often have kitchen duty, cleaning beds, and
World War I marked a drastic change in African American history. The war began as a conflict between the Europeans and soon became an event with revolutionary consequences, which would have a big affect on the social, economic, and political future for the black community. The war impacted the black community of Cleveland greatly whether you were male or female, soldier or civilian. The war began in 1914 and ended in 1918, which marked one of the most dynamic periods for the African American community because of migration, racial violence, and political protest. African Americans challenged the American Government, demanded their rights as American citizens, and demanded equality both in subtle and dramatic ways. We should further our knowledge on World War I because it is important to develop a better understanding of how the war affected African Americans and the struggles they faced because of it.
David W. Blight's book Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory and the American Civil War, is an intriguing look back into the Civil War era which is very heavily studied but misunderstood according to Blight. Blight focuses on how memory shapes history Blight feels, while the Civil War accomplished it goal of abolishing slavery, it fell short of its ultimate potential to pave the way for equality. Blight attempts to prove that the Civil War does little to bring equality to blacks. This book is a composite of twelve essays which are spilt into three parts. The Preludes describe blacks during the era before the Civil War and their struggle to over come slavery and describes the causes, course and consequences of the war. Problems in Civil War memory describes black history and deals with how during and after the war Americans seemed to forget the true meaning of the war which was race. And the postludes describes some for the leaders of black society and how they are attempting to keep the memory and the real meaning of the Civil War alive and explains the purpose of studying historical memory.
...War and the Civil Rights Movements in order to illustrate how the 1960s was a time of “tumult and change.” To Anderson, it is these events, which sparked the demand for recognition of social and economic fairness. He makes prominent the idea that the 1960s served as the origin of activism and the birth of the civil rights movement, forever changing ideals that embody America. The book overall is comprehensive and a definite attention grabber. It shows how the decade had the effect of drastically transforming life in America and challenging the unequal status quo that has characterized most of the nation's history. Despite the violence and conflict that was provoked by these changes, the activism and the liberation movements that took place have left a permanent imprint upon the country.
During the 1940's, millions of African-Americans moved from the South to the North in search of industrial opportunities. As a result of this migration, a third of all black Americans lived outside the south by 1950.... ... middle of paper ... ... While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends.
In hindsight the build-up to 1963 is obvious; the tension had grown rather than diminished since the Emancipation Proclamation as new laws were enacted but slowly carried out or blatantly ignored. The centennial of the Proclamation was approaching, and the lack of follow-through by both Republicans and Democrats, in both the South and the North, brought disappointment, frustration, and anger. President Kennedy promised changes to housing discrimination but did not sign them into law until two years into his term and was not specific enough for it to bring actual change (p. 8). The black population’s faith in the government waned as they saw countries in Africa rebelling after World War II, the nearly nuclear war of the 1950s, and the Great Depression that lingered even longer for them than for the struggling white public. They were witnessing fighting and determination around the world without experiencing any liberty of their own. The struggle was a daily reality for the individual, and that fa...
World War II opened up several opportunities for African American men during and after the war. First of all, the blacks were able to join the military, the Navy and the Army Air Corps’ (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). The African Americans were allowed to join the military because they were needed, but they would be trained separately and put in separate groups then the white men because America was still prejudice. (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). The same went for the African Americans that joined the Navy, only they were given the menial jobs instead of the huge jobs (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). African Americans that joined the Army Air Corps’ were also segregated (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). The Army Air Corps’ African American also known as the Tuskegee Airmen were sent to the blacks university in Tuskegee for their training (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). They became one of the most well known groups of flyers during World War II th...
Those studying the experience of African Americans in World War II consistently ask one central question: “Was World War II a turning point for African Americans?” In elaboration, does World War II symbolize a prolongation of policies of segregation and discrimination both on the home front and the war front, or does it represent the start of the Civil Rights Movement that brought racial equality? The data points to the war experience being a transition leading to the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s.
Throughout the course of Black history, African Americans Have fought for the right to be viewed as human and not merely the dispatched property of pre-emancipation whites in the southern states of the U.S. This struggle had been a constant battle since the liberation of blacks by the 14th amendment however, most noted during the “Civil Rights era”. Carol Anderson’s Eyes off the Prize: The United Nations and the Struggle for African American Human Rights, 1944-1955 explores this era in American History in depth and explains this struggle in the midst of Cold War politics. Anderson focuses her texts on the role of Black organizations such as the NAACP and their role in U.S. international and foreign policies.
It would take many years for African-Americans to acquire the freedoms that they had fought for over seas. Those efforts were accelerated by the war and the prosperity that it brought. Eventually Jim Crow would fall in the south and African-Americans would take their struggle to every part of the nation. It was never an over night sensation. The civil rights movement was one long continuous effort that occurred before and after World War II. The process has been a long one and still continues.
Social, Political and Economic Effects of WWI. Everywhere in the world heard the sound of things breaking." Advanced European societies could not support long wars or so many thought prior to World War I. They were right in the way.
Prior to World War I there was much social, economic, and political inequality for African Americans. This made it difficult for African Americans to accept their own ethnicity and integrate with the rest of American society. By the end of World War II however African Americans had made great strides towards reaching complete equality, developing their culture, securing basic rights, and incorporating into American society.
Sadly, these efforts were in vain; if participation in the military served as a rite of passage out of slavery, it would not have existed during World War I (Wynn 170). The military illustrated segregation and derogatory treatment of African Americans just as the rest of the country. They basically possessed no more rights in the military than in any other place in the country. While African Americans continued their struggle for equal treatment with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), women, specifically Caucasian women, attempted to gain suffrage rights in the
African Americans endured great battles throughout their lives over an extensive period of time, which spanned from the time of slavery until the 1970s. White supremacy is one of the factors responsible for the inequality that African Americans faced in their lives. A community of Black people were all discriminated against simply because their skin was colored. As a result, the African American resisted White Supremacy through conducting civil disobedience, getting access to an education, even with the risk of being caught. Resistance ensured the African Americans their pride and dignity to remain determined, even if they did not manage to outnumber the Whites in the end.
Being African American in the south during the 1900’s was not a thing to be proud of. They were segregated and also treated with extreme disrespect, but they did not go a long silently. Opposition to segregation was very common, but finally during the 1960’s African Americans banded together to end segregation and gain the rights they deserve.