Topic 13 World War I

What role did African-Americans play in World War I and how did incorporating them into the war effort prove problematic?

Black officers

Emmett J. Scott

Blacks training in their own camps

Trial of blacks after riot at Houston training camp in 1917

Black soldiers fought in a number of famous battles

German propaganda aimed at black soldiers during World War I

Black soldiers had to have their own entertainment sent from the states to keep morale high

For the most part, the French welcomed black soldiers from around the world

What effect did World War I have on African-Americans domestically?

“Great Migration”

National Conference on Migration, NYC, 1916

Pan-African Congress met at the same time as negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles did little for the world’s blacks

After World War I, how and why were things worse for African-Americans?

Upon returning from the war, most blacks were optimistic about new treatment in America

But the optimism quickly evaporated as racial violence soon broke out after World War I, often requiring police and military intervention

There were a number of causes of this violence: The Great Migration northward of African-Americans worried many northern whites The expectation of African-Americans had been raised, in part by the government’s portrayal of the war effort as a fight for liberty Having fought in the war, many African-Americans were now willing to stand up for their rights in a way they never were before. They had already been trained in fighting and had seen violence For a number of reasons, the economy turned bad and the competition for jobs increased dramatically. In a bad economy, this competition often ended up violently The racial violence should be understood as part of a larger period of troubles at the end of the war (for example, the Red Scare)

Aftermath of Knoxville race riots

Longview, Texas

Tulsa, Oklahoma