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Military, African Americans and the
4 articles on Military, African Americans and the
Military
Source: Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895: From the Colonial Period to the Age of Frederick Douglass
Word Count: 10654 Includes: African Americans in the Revolutionary War | African Americans in the War of 1812 | Mexican-American War | Recruitment of Black Troops in the Civil War | Early Civil War Experiences | Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry Regiment | Captured Black Union Soldiers | Final Battles | Battles in the West, Discrimination in the Ranks | BibliographyThe African American contribution to victories in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 was substantial. African American ground forces in the Revolutionary War numbered about five thousand, and they distinguished themselves with heroism in the face of the enemy. Similarly, black sailors contributed to American naval prowess in both wars. White officers commended African Americans for their bravery and willingness to stand and fight; yet their achievements were quickly dismissed and forgotten after the wars. Crispus Attucks, who died in the Boston Massacre of 5 March 1770, was the first African American to fall for liberty's cause; those who followed him into the ranks of the fledgling American army distinguished themselves on the field of battle. ...
Read full articleMilitary, Blacks in the American
Source: Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, Second Edition
Word Count: 7056 Includes: Role of African Americans in Colonial Militias | African Americans in the American Revolution | Gains and Losses from the Revolution to the Civil War | Military Role in the Civil War | Reconstruction and the Late 1800s | Spanish-American War and Philippines Insurrection | Early 1900s and World War I | Colored Officers Training Camp and the Houston Mutiny | World War II | Integrating the Military | African Americans in the All-Volunteer Army | Persian Gulf War and AfterAfrican Americans serving in various branches of the United States armed services and in every military conflict entered by the United States, often in the face of white resistance. In 1948, as a result of President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981, the military became the first major American institution to undertake racial integration. Although the military did not welcome the change, over the years it made great strides toward eliminating racial segregation and discrimination. Today large numbers of African Americans serve in the armed forces because—to a much greater extent than the larger society—the various branches of service reward ability regardless of race or class. For much of American history, however, white Americans resisted the admission of blacks to the military. Like other parts of the African American past, the story of blacks in the American military is closely entwined with the historical American realities of slavery and racism. ...
Read full articleMilitary, Black Women in The
Source: Black Women in America, Second Edition
Word Count: 8129 Includes: Wars of Emancipation and Empire | The World Wars | Out of the Cold War and into the Twenty-first Century | BibliographyWhile serving one's country is widely held to be an honor and an act of patriotism, historically most governments have been reluctant to enlist women into their armed services. Combat in particular has been considered unnatural for women. Yet some women have defied traditional norms and become soldiers in various parts of the world. Becoming a soldier in the United States has been a long and arduous process for women. Black women have had an especially difficult time entering the armed forces and have been forced to go through several stages in the quest to serve their country. The first phase consisted of individual acts of heroism and displays of patriotism. Next came the spirited efforts of individuals and groups to provide organized support. From these efforts sprang a number of support organizations in which serving the soldier and his family ...
Read full articleAfrican Americans in the Military
Source: The Oxford Companion to American Military History
Word Count: 2708Americans of African descent have participated in all the wars of the United States, serving their country and themselves, for military service has offered African Americans a means of economic, social, and political as well as military advancement. Black participation thus must be understood in the context of the importance of racial issues that developed as early as the colonial era, issues that have shaped the unique expansion of African Americans in the American military.During the colonial period, the largest numbers of free blacks were in the northern colonies. These colonies were much more willing to include Americans of African descent in their militia than were the southern colonies, which held the majority of slaves, although some colonies used blacks in labor units for militia expeditions. But in cases of dire need, even colonies like South Carolina, where ...
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