Chapter Overview

World War I began in Europe in 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian extremist, triggering the collapse of a global system of alliances that had endured for years. Although declared neutral by President Wilson, the severity of the conflict soon drew American forces into action on the side of the Allied Powers with Great Britain, France, Russia, and a host of other smaller powers. Nearly 400,000 African Americans responded to the president's eventual call to arms, but they were segregated into their own training camps and active units. Despite disdain from their white countrymen, these African American soldiers served with distinction on the European front, often under French command. At home, African Americans migrated north in search of wartime work, but were confronted by race riots in the northern cities, which grew in intensity during and after the war.

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter you should understand the following:

• The degree of participation of African Americans in the First World War
• The segregated nature of the American armed forces in this era and how this led to separate training facilities and all-black units as a fact of service
• The basic experience of an African American serving overseas in the U.S. military
• What impact the war had on those African Americans who remained at home during the war