African American Army Officers of World War I: A Vanguard of Equality in War and Beyond

Wilson, Adam P.

ISBN 10: 078649512X / ISBN 13: 9780786495122

Published by McFarland & Company, 2015

About this Item

Item in good condition and has highlighting/writing on text. Used texts may not contain supplemental items such as CDs, info-trac etc. Seller Inventory # 00030860607

Bibliographic Details

Title: African American Army Officers of World War ...

Publisher: McFarland & Company

Publication Date: 2015

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis:

In April 1917, Congress approved President Woodrow Wilson's request to declare war on the Central Powers, thrusting the United States into World War I with the rallying cry, "The world must be made safe for democracy." Two months later 1,250 African American men--college graduates, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, reverends and non-commissioned officers--volunteered to become the first blacks to receive officer training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa. Denied the full privileges and protections of democracy at home, they prepared to defend it abroad in hopes that their service would be rewarded with equal citizenship at war's end.

This book tells the stories of these black American soldiers' lives during training, in combat and after their return home. The author addresses issues of national and international racism and equality and discusses the Army's use of African American troops, the creation of a segregated officer training camp, the war's implications for civil rights in America, and military duty as an obligation of citizenship.

About the Author:

Adam P. Wilson joined the department of history and philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin in 2011. His expertise is in African American history. He lives in Arlington, Tennessee.