USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
World War I had a positive impact on African Americans because (there may be more than one correct answer)

(A) the government told them they could not enlist in the military.

(B) ** military units like the Harlem Hellfighters fought bravely and distinguished themselves on the battlefield

(C) ** many African Americans were able to leave the Jim Crow south to seek job opportunities created by the war in northern cities

(D) ** it gave them the opportunity to fight for their country and continue their fight for equal rights.

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Arguably the most profound effect of World War I on African Americans was the acceleration of the multi-decade mass movement of black, southern rural farm laborers northward and westward to cities in search of higher wages in industrial jobs and better social and political opportunities.

Concept note-2: -As a result of the Union victory in the Civil War and the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution (1865), nearly four million slaves were freed. The Fourteenth Amendment (1868) granted African Americans citizenship, and the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) guaranteed their right to vote.

Concept note-3: -More than 350, 000 African Americans served in World War I. Among those sent overseas, the majority served in support battalions, reflecting the belief that Black men were suited more for manual labor than front-line combat.

Concept note-4: -Black draftees were treated with extreme hostility when they arrived for training. White men refused to salute black officers and black officers were often barred from the officer’s clubs and quarters. The War Department rarely interceded, and discrimination was usually overlooked or sometimes condoned.