African Americans And Worl War L

African Americans and World War I
World War I was a transformative moment in African-American history. What began as a seemingly distant European conflict soon became an eventwith revolutionary implications for the social, economic, and political future of black people. The war directly impacted all African Americans, male and female, northerner andsoutherner, soldier and civilian. Migration, military service, racial violence, and political protest combined to make the war years one of the most dynamic periods of theAfrican-American experience. Black people contested the boundaries of American democracy, demanded their rights as American citizens, and asserted their very humanity in ways both subtle anddramatic. Recognizing the significance of World War I is essential to developing a full understanding of modern African-American history and the struggle for black freedom.
When warerupted in Europe in August 1914, most Americans, African Americans included, saw no reason for the United States to become involved. This sentiment strengthened as war betweenthe German-led Central Powers and the Allied nations of France, Great Britain, and Russia ground to a stalemate and the death toll increased dramatically. The black press sided withFrance, because of its purported commitment to racial equality, and chronicled the exploits of colonial African soldiers serving in the French army. Nevertheless, African Americansviewed the bloodshed and destruction occurring overseas as far removed from the immediacies of their everyday lives.
The war did, however, have a significant impact on AfricanAmericans, particularly the majority who lived in the South. The war years coincided with the Great Migration, one of the largest internal movements of people in American history.