African American Army Officers of World War I: A Vanguard of Equality in War and Beyond

by Adam P. Wilson

Overview

In April 1917, Congress approved President Woodrow Wilson's request to declare war on the Central Powers, thrusting the United States into World War I with the rallying cry, "The world must be made safe for democracy." Two months later 1,250 African American men--college graduates, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, reverends and non-commissioned officers--volunteered to become the first blacks to receive officer training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. Denied the full privileges and protections of democracy at home, they prepared to defend it abroad in hopes that their service would be rewarded with equal citizenship at war's end.

This book tells the stories of these black American soldiers' lives during training, in combat and after their return home. The author addresses issues of national and international racism and equality and discusses the Army's use of African American troops, the creation of a segregated officer training camp, the war's implications for civil rights in America, and military duty as an obligation of citizenship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476620077
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/14/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	236
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Adam P. Wilson joined the department of history and philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2011. His expertise is in African American history. He lives in Arlington, Tennessee.
Adam P. Wilson joined the department of history and philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2011. His expertise is in African American history. He lives in Arlington, Tennessee.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
1. Debating the Use of African Americans as Soldiers
2. The Fight for a Segregated Officer Training Camp
3. Life at Fort Des Moines
4. Across the Atlantic—Fighting Two Wars
5. Legal Battles Against Segregation
6. The Black Press: The Pen Mightier Than the Sword
7. Mentoring the Next Generation
8. The Military Desegregated
Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

provides a broad cross-section of experiences…contributes to the history of race relations in the early 20th century...recommended” —Choice.

From the Publisher