Black Servicemen In WWII Flashcards
Knowledge point one - in Europe
During WWII black servicemen faced continued discrimination from white Americans and witnessed the German prisoners receiving better treatment, which was hard to deal with as the were the American enemy.
Analysis point one
Blacks had entered these foreign lands that was not discriminatory and they experienced racial tolerance from the British and French and upon their return to America they were determined to fight for equality.
Knowledge point two - in America
Black soldiers returning from the war were dumped out of army trucks and faced violent beatings in the south. Also black’s homes were destroyed for the pentagon building and extension for the Arlington cemetery.
Analysis point two
Even after black soldiers had risked their lives for America, they were still treated with the same discrimination as before as whites still saw them as inferior, which infuriated blacks so they were adamant to get their respect and equality.
Evaluation
- it was a major turning point for the CRM
- blacks didn’t want the 2nd class status because they were good enough to be treated equally
- during the war the NAACP membership was 50,000-500,000 which increased black solidarity
- 900% increase meant there was an usher for equality
- this helped fuel the CRM growth
- skin colour was irrelevant when protecting American soil and they use this as their cry
