About the Topic
Over 2.5 million African-American men registered for the draft, and black women also volunteered in large numbers. While serving in the Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, they experienced discrimination and segregation but met the challenge and persevered. They served their country with distinction, made valuable contributions to the war effort, and earned high praises and commendations for their struggles and sacrifices. In studies by the military, blacks were often classified as unfit for combat and were not allowed on the front lines. They were mostly given support duties, and were not allowed in units with white soldiers. That changed in 1941, when pressure from African-American civil rights leaders convinced the government to set up all-black combat units, as experiments. They were designed to see if African-American soldiers could perform military tasks on the same level as white soldiers. On the home front, the U.S. government desperately needed workers to fill newly created defense jobs and factory positions left open by soldiers who had left to fight. More than two million African Americans went to work for defense plants, and another two million joined the federal civil service. As these new opportunities drew more and more African Americans into cities, they opened the way for economic mobility. The experiences of World War II, exposure to better jobs and an increasing feeling of social mobility—played out against the backdrop of continuing segregation—were beginning to add fire to the civil rights movement in the United States.
Interesting Facts
- There were more women and African Americans working in WWII than at any time before
- The war was the “spark” that brought the civil rights movement back to the United States
- If the Tuskegee Airmen and the 332nd Fighter group, America would have not started the military integration policy
The exceptional fighting and working skills that the Africans had caused many whites to believe that the only difference between blacks and whites was the color of the skin
- The war was the “spark” that brought the civil rights movement back to the United States
- If the Tuskegee Airmen and the 332nd Fighter group, America would have not started the military integration policy
The exceptional fighting and working skills that the Africans had caused many whites to believe that the only difference between blacks and whites was the color of the skin
Importance to History
The African Americans in WWII really helped not only the military abilities of the U.S., but it also helped move equality for whites and blacks one step further. These wonderful men and women faced discrimination, but still kept their duty to their country.