The First World War: Racial Equity and Respect - Coursework Example

Warfare in African American Civil Rights Warfare was the major factor in bringing about African American civil rights African Americans struggled possessing a voice and reverence in the early years of United States of America. They faced the oppression of the Whites for such a long time since the civil war. However, they no longer tolerated the discriminations and double standards they encountered. They fought for what they had faith in by taking a stand. Despite the fact that African Americans did not hold many privileges as families, the reality that they stood up for one another and for themselves to bring peace, honour, and liberty was sufficient to commence a new life. Eventually, many acquired the opportunity to start a new life. So, what is a civil right? Civil rights refer to the demand for particular group of people to earn their rights, which certain individuals and groups took away from them. Civil right movements had many forms that called for a person to possess the privilege to whatever they desired, written or verbally, their opportunities to vote and have the right to be in civic places as one pleases. The necessity of soldiers in the civil war In the summer of 1862, the newspapers posed the question, “What shall we do to the Negro?” Carson et al1argues that the question unveiled an underlying attitude within the Americans, which were African Americans are still objects. They did not consider the blacks as equals in the society and were not part of the polity. The attitude played a significant role in the confederacys war council. The conflict between the North and South showed how the sides were unprepared to deal with the issue constructively. Maj. Gen Patrick Cleburne was the first to come up with a proposal to tump over the confederacys system of slavery. He was an Irish immigrant and later established himself as a successful lawyer in Arkansas. He was an avid supporter for the Southern independence. Cleburne was one of the Confederates finest commanders. In 1864, Cleburne viewed the confederacys government with disheartenment. According to Dagbovie and Gaglo 2, other southern citizens aired their concerns about the slaves’ future such as a few citizens from Alabama and Mississippi who felt the weight of despair that Cleburne had on him. As a result, the Jackson Mississippi emerged in September 1863. Even the Mobile Register proposed that the confederacy should hire the blacks for them to win the war. They argued that if they did not do so, their enemies would hire them instead. The proposal had great support such that newspapers, such as the Montgomery Weekly Mail, urged its readers to accept the necessity, however revolting it was to their pride’s sentiment and to the basic principles that governed the South before the war. Cleburne argued for the arming and freedom of the slaves better that anyone else. Despite the confederacy’s sacrifice of their soldiers and properties, they were still in a position to face defeat. They did not have any way out of their position. They were facing a catastrophe. They had to execute a significant measure that would be to their advantage. The confederacy had to act soon before what they lost the war. The confederacy had three issues that would lead to their downfall. Firstly, their army was inferior in terms of their numbers. The armys chance was minimal because they had lost many of their men in during the war. Second, the confederacys source for men was not as reliable as that of their enemies. The third one was slavery. Slavery may have been a strength at the beginning of the war, however, Cleburne claimed that it was a significant weakness then. Some confederates suggested increasing the armys size. One of them was that they should recapture the deserters. Cleburne argued many of the deserters were outside of the Confederate lines. Besides, they could not make reliable soldiers since they were deserters. The other proposal was that they should bring in old men and young men. It would not work since the armys sick list would just get longer, making those more of a burden. The only option was to bring in free men; men who would be loyal to the service. Unfortunately, the source had few men. To beat this, they had to recruit freed slaves. The proponents of freeing the slaves suggested that the confederacy should begin the training of the most courageous slaves. To do this, they had to guarantee freedom to all the slaves within a convenient time. According to Cleburne, he thought that a patriot would rather lose slavery than his own independence. This was to appeal to the southerners and convince them that their own independence was more important than holding on to their slaves Afterwards, the general declared that that slavery was a vulnerable point for the confederacy. They were undermining the south from within, therefore, it was not to their military advantage. Cleburne believed that the African American soldiers would be loyal because they were fighting for their freedom. It would not have made any sense for them to fight against it. The black man would not fight for the confederate while still a slave. He would not make a reliable soldier. For the whole year, Cleburne insisted that the confederacy had to face the fact that this was the only way that they would gain more men for the army. He considered it as conceding to common sense. Even after the whole year of 1864, Cleburne’s idea did not make any difference. The general, Joseph Johnston, refused to take it forward. An officer from the army of Tennessee turned the notion into a scandal. He claimed the issue should not be discussed. Davis Jefferson realized that his strategy would not work after the fall in Atlanta in 1864. On November 7th, 1864, Davis Jefferson wrote to congress that they should increase the soldiers to forty thousand. Davis went along with Cleburnes proposal that they should turn to the slaves. However, his idea had a compromise. He claimed that the freed soldiers should be freed along with their families at the time of their discharge. It would be a payment for their services3. Robert Lee was another prestigious proponent for Cleburne’s idea. His prestige was beyond the president’s. Lee’s men were behind his idea. Most of them claimed that they needed African American reinforcements. He wrote to a Virginia legislator that they should recruit black men to be soldiers. He proposed that the African Americans should be freed upon enlisting in the army. Additionally, their families should be freed upon discharge for their services well rendered. By 1865, Robert Lee was the only influential person who would fight for the slaves’ freedom. However, despite fighting hard for this, he was not successful. The confederates were not willing to give up on slavery. They were determined to earn their freedom while still holding on to their slaves. After a long struggle, the legislators passed a bill to call for a quarter of the states slaves between 18 and 45 years of age to enlist. It was the early steps of the African American earning their freedom. They would be part of America, fighting for their freedom. They had their civil rights for the first time. Upon the commencement of the war, Northerners agreed that slavery was holding them back. Fighting slavery would help them win the war. Gradually, Abraham Lincoln proposed measures of compensated emancipation. His measures envisioned voluntary action by the state to free the slaves. Lincoln appealed to neighbouring slave states to adopt the idea. It was a means to end the war. “A necessary war measure” was Abraham Lincoln’s justification argument for the Emancipation Proclamation4. With time, even the Republican Party and the media claimed that the new measure was to the military’s means to win the war. Lincoln was not against the emancipation of the slaves. Throughout the war, he was a proponent of their freedom. However, he did not strongly fight for it. Although he would say that the blacks should have a voting opportunity, only those who served as soldiers and the “very intelligent.”5 Even after the civil war, free African Americans were still not treated as equals. Racism still dominated the Southerners and the Northerners minds. The social and economic life of the freed or enslaved slaves was not what a free man deserves. They were free on paper but were subordinates. However, we can consider the civil war as the first opportunity for the African Americans to gain their civil rights. World War 1 Prior the First World War, military services symbolized a source of Black Pride. Clergymen, the media and the black teachers frequently referred to them as the Negro heroes of Americas historical wars. After the civil war, the US military upheld four Negro regiments, the 9th and the 10th Calvary and the 24th and 25th infantry. These units constituted civil war veterans and front line Indian fighting regiments. Retired sergeants became esteemed leaders in the communities6. This history put an establishment for African American support and participation in Americas future wars. The United States got involved in the First World War in 1917. The motto was "Make the World Safe for Democracy." Within seven days, the Army stopped recruiting black volunteers because coloured quotas were filled. The American Navy recognised Black Men as mess men, which was a level that did not yield much pride and advancement. When the drafting begun, two million blacks registered thirty one percent were accepted against twenty six percent of white men. African Americans then made up ten percent of the population. The First World War epitomized a turning point for African American society. It stood as a chance to amend race affairs at home despite the fighting abroad. Despite the racism, no one could be against the ones fighting to stabilize your freedom and those of others. The armed forces performed an important role toward enhancing moral standards by providing an environment void of war. Although the black regiments received heroic appreciation and recognition, rumours ran rampant. Reports disseminated to the war department claimed that blacks were placed in dangerous positions of the field to protect the whites. However7, facts stated that the troops were placed in silent sectors. Surveillance by the war division revealed that the soldiers were in good moods and seemed assertive on active duty. Not until the bombing of Germany through an aerial attack did the department allow the full participation of black personnel. Eventually, it had a significant impact on the victory of the war. The First World War stimulated the Black community to advocate for democracy. Black soldiers who were involved in the war actively participated in protest against racial discrimination, both from the home front and overseas. The introduction of African American troops left a insightful effect in Europe. More than three hundred and fifty thousand black Americans served in isolated units during World War 1, mainly as support troops. Numerous African American troops fought alongside the Germans, and a hundred and seventy one African Americans troops were awarded the French Croix de Guerre or Legion of Honour for their heroic deeds. By October 1917, over six hundred African American soldiers had been ranked as captains and first and second lieutenants8. These achievements permitted the black American to put a stake in American History not as a mere irritation or as a subordinate, but as an honourable soldier who pursues victory for his country. The war was a step towards the African American to get the civil rights he fought for. The fact that they were soldiers and earned ranks in the military proved that they were not slaves anymore. World War 2 It is amazing how what a war can do when it comes to uniting races. However, war makes everyone united until it is over. When it came to African Americans, this was the case. One of the biggest motivators to get the black race to enlist was to be considered as equals and secure better civil rights. With this on the table, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP) went up in 1945. With the increase members, the NAACP was able to outlaw lynching, and bring discrimination in the defence industry and armed services out in the open to seek changes. They caught the Supreme Court judges attention, during the Smith versus All-white case. The rule was that the all-white primary in the Texas state was unconstitutional. In 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt banned discriminatory employment practices by federal agencies, organizations and all unions in war-related businesses. It was Executive Order 88029. Companies such as Ford, Boeing and other big companies had to abandon their hiring practices. One could wonder, what were the basis of these rulings? Did they do this because it was a strategic move that would help them win the war or because they thought it was time to put an end to the discrimination? Whatever the reason was, it put an end to unfair employment. It also resulted to the formation of the Fair Employment Practices Commission. The wars depleted the factories so that they could increase their size on the battle field. Since they needed to backfill the employment for over two million service members that were taken out of their usual jobs, the employment of the African-American was significantly increasing and an additional 200,000 entered the federal service. Black labour unions increased by 100 percent and African American men were learning marketable trades. The main aspect of all this was an increase in standard income. The average income before the war was $450. After the war, the average income increased to $2000. However, in order to keep their share of success, they had to fight for it overseas in the battle field. When they were able to fight in the battlefield, they did nothing but excel. The 761st Tank Unit stationed in Germany was recognized for their style of fighting. It was a huge achievement for any unit. Even with the loyal involvement of the black soldiers, they still had to be in separate quarters, and separate mess halls. This was happening under the command of white officers. It drove the racial tension high, which drove the ignorance even higher. The impact was so significant that over fifty years later we can still feel it. On July 26th 2008, the assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Mr. Ronald James apologized for the wrongful conviction of twenty eight African American soldiers during World War 2. A change from dishonourably discharge to honourable discharge accompanied the apology. He apologized on behalf of the whole army10. The impact made by the African American has a positive income many years later. More than a million black persons, (men) served in the allied forces during the Second World War. They were mostly separated noncombat units. At home, black leaders continue to advocate for racial correspondence. They campaigned for success both at home and overseas. In 1941, Phillip Randolph the president of National Negro Congress threatened to call for a march to Washington by thousands of black Protestants in order to demand for the approval of passage rights legislation. President Franklin Delano feared that the march would interrupt the war efforts. He, therefore, agreed by signing Executive order 8802, which was to integrate war factories and create the Fair employment Practices Committee. As a result, more than two hundred thousand people gained top job opportunities in defence related industries. After the civil war, President Harry Truman created the president committee on Civil Rights and integrated the military with the executive order 998111. Conclusion Clearly, warfare was a major factor for racial equity. The war brought people together and needed everyone to act like one society. Starting from the Civil war all the way to World War 2, no war would have come to an end if the slavery had continued. Perhaps we could say that war had a positive impact on the blacks’ lives. Judging from the discussion above, all wars fought advocated for equity, racial equity and respect. Through the war African American people achieved some if not all, of their desires. The struggle had gone on for about 100 years as we have seen. However, we cannot say it stopped there, there were struggles even after 1950 and have not been included in the literature, but the African American community continue to grow and develop. Reference list Wesley, Charles. The History of Alpha Phil Alpha: A Development in Negro College Life (6th ed.).Chicago: Lindenmeyr Book Publishing, 1950. The author focuses on the lives of the African Americans and their lives. He focuses on the ages between 18 and 50, their economic and social status. Bates, Beth Tompkins, Pullman Porters: Rise of Protest Politics in Black America, 1929–1945, New York: Hachette book group, 2001. The author discusses the rise of the black American movements and their effects. He provides a timeline of the movements and how they affected the livelihoods of the Americans. Carson, Garrow, Clayborne, David, Kovach, Polsgrove, Bill, Carol, Reporting Civil Rights: American Journalism 1941 to 1963 and Reporting Civil Rights: American Journalism 1963 to 1973. New York: Library of America 2003. The literature from this source mainly discusses the political status of the American society in the late 19th and early 20th century Dagbovie, PeroGaglo, “Exploring a Century of Historical Scholarship on Booker, Washington,” Journal of African American History, 92, 2007, 239–64. The journal discusses the story of African American and the events in his life. The author takes him as an example of the life of the African American. David Beito and Linda Royster Beito, Black Maverick: Howards Fight for Civil Rights and Economics Power, Urbana: the University of Illinois Press, 2009. The literature discusses the great leaders who fought for the African Americans’ civil rights. He discusses their basis of their arguments. Glenn, Feldman. The Disfranchisement Myth: Poor Whites and Suffering Restriction in Alabama. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2004. This source focuses on the events of the war and how the socio-political environment changed during the war. James, Anderson. Black Education in the South 1860 to 1935, Chapel Hill: the University of North Carolina Press, 1988. The authors main topic here is the southern part. The events starting from the war to the mid-19th century. He provides details on the African American leaders that advocated for civil rights. Sitkof, Harvard. "Harry Truman and the Election of 1948: Coming Age of Civil Rights in American Politics," Journal of Southern History. (37) (4). 1971, pp. 597–616 This article also provides details of the civil war. It includes the socio-political status and the devolution of the community. Read More