African American Soldiers In The National Guard

Author : Charles Johnson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313064733
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.39/5 ( download)

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Download or read book African American Soldiers in the National Guard written by Charles Johnson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1992-08-21 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Little is known about the many achievements of African American guardsmen in U.S. history from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. This detailed account thus fills an important gap in our knowledge about the establishment of African American militias in 1877 and their service in wartime and peacetime until the integration of the National Guard in 1950. This careful study of extensive primary and secondary sources is intended for military historians and for all who want to know more about African American contributions to the defense of our nation. Following a short introduction providing some historical background, the study launches into a description of the establishment of African American militia organizations in and about 1877 and their involvement in the Spanish American War and in quelling civil disturbances and disasters up to 1914. The history deals next with the service of African American guardsmen units in World War I, their work in the years between the wars, and their involvement in World War II. The story ends with a description of the initial reorganization of these units and their integration into the National Guard in 1949 and 1950. A lengthy bibliography of primary and secondary sources is useful as well in pointing to the role of African American militias and guardsmen in the history of this important period.

Author : Michael Lee Lanning
Publisher : Citadel Press
ISBN 13 : 9780806526294
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.97/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The African-American Soldier written by Michael Lee Lanning and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this moving and revealing account, Michael Lee Lanning brings to life the battles in which African Americans fought so courageously to become full citizens by risking their lives for their country. This updated edition includes analyses of African-American soldiers' involvement in recent U.S. conflicts, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Author : Martin Binkin
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 9780815705666
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.62/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Blacks and the Military written by Martin Binkin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2011-02-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For much of the nation's history, the participation of blacks in the armed forces was approximately in line with their proportion in the total population. This changed during the 1970s: by 1980 one of every three Army Gls and one of every five marines were black. The reaction has been mixed. Many Americans look with approval on the growth of black participation in military service, since it often affords young blacks educational, social, and financial opportunities that constitute a bridge to a better life not otherwise available to them. But for other Americans, the opportunities are outweighed by the disproportionate imposition of the burden of defense on a segment of the population that has not enjoyed a fair share of the benefits that society confers. From this perspective, the likelihood that blacks would suffer at least a third-and perhaps a half-of the combat fatalities in the initial stages of conflict is considered immoral, unethical, or otherwise contrary to the precepts of democratic institutions. Some also worry that military forces with such a high fraction of blacks entail risks to U.S. national security. A socially unrepresentative force, it is argued, may lack the cohesion considered vital to combat effectiveness. Others fear that such a force would be unreliable if it were deployed in situations that would test the allegiance of its minority members. And some have even expressed concern that a large proportion of blacks may raise questions about the status of U.S fighting forces, as judged by the American public, the nation's allies, and its adversaries. The authors of this book examine evidence on both sides of the issue in an effort to bring objective scrutiny to bear on questions that for many years have been loaded with emotion and subjective reaction. They also discuss the implications for the military's racial composition of demographic, economic, and technological trends and the possible effects of returning to some form of conscription.

Author : Jeffrey T. Sammons
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700621385
Total Pages : 630 pages
Book Rating : 4.85/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War written by Jeffrey T. Sammons and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2015-09-26 with total page 630 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When on May 15, 1918 a French lieutenant warned Henry Johnson of the 369th to move back because of a possible enemy raid, Johnson reportedly replied: "I'm an American, and I never retreat." The story, even if apocryphal, captures the mythic status of the Harlem Rattlers, the African-American combat unit that grew out of the 15th New York National Guard, who were said to have never lost a man to capture or a foot of ground that had been taken. It also, in its insistence on American identity, points to a truth at the heart of this book--more than fighting to make the world safe for democracy, the black men of the 369th fought to convince America to live up to its democratic promise. It is this aspect of the storied regiment's history--its place within the larger movement of African Americans for full citizenship in the face of virulent racism--that Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War brings to the fore. With sweeping vision, historical precision, and unparalleled research, this book will stand as the definitive study of the 369th. Though discussed in numerous histories and featured in popular culture (most famously the film Stormy Weather and the novel Jazz), the 369th has become more a matter of mythology than grounded, factually accurate history--a situation that authors Jeffrey T. Sammons and John H. Morrow, Jr. set out to right. Their book--which eschews the regiment's famous nickname, the "Harlem Hellfighters," a name never embraced by the unit itself--tells the full story of the self-proclaimed Harlem Rattlers. Combining the "fighting focus" of military history with the insights of social commentary, Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War reveals the centrality of military service and war to the quest for equality as it details the origins, evolution, combat exploits, and postwar struggles of the 369th. The authors take up the internal dynamics of the regiment as well as external pressures, paying particular attention to the environment created by the presence of both black and white officers in the unit. They also explore the role of women--in particular, the Women's Auxiliary of the 369th--as partners in the struggle for full citizenship. From its beginnings in the 15th New York National Guard through its training in the explosive atmosphere in the South, its singular performance in the French army during World War I, and the pathos of postwar adjustment--this book reveals as never before the details of the Harlem Rattlers' experience, the poignant history of some of its heroes, its place in the story of both World War I and the African American campaign for equality--and its full i

Author : Anthony F. Gero
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438426372
Total Pages : 191 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Black Soldiers of New York State written by Anthony F. Gero and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-07-26 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concise history of the valiant service of New York’s African American soldiers.

Author : Bernard C. Nalty
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 002922411X
Total Pages : 436 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Strength for the Fight written by Bernard C. Nalty and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1989 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Surveys the history of blacks in the armed forces from the 1600s to the 1980s.

Author : Arkansas National Guard Museum
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Arkansas National Guard African American Pioneers Untold Stories written by Arkansas National Guard Museum and published by . This book was released on 2023-02-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For much of the military history of the United States, African Americans were discouraged from joining the military or relegated to segregated units. The Arkansas Militia/ National Guard was no different. In 1948, President Truman officially desegregated the Armed Forces, but it took several years before the process was complete. In 1964, the Arkansas National Guard allowed its first African American to enlist. Gradually, more African Americans joined the Arkansas Army and Air Guard. However, African Americans in the Arkansas Guard faced many obstacles. Discrimination was rampant and slowed their advancement in the organization. This book investigates the issues of discrimination experienced by the African American pioneers in the Arkansas National Guard. In addition, a large portion of this book is dedicated to the first African Americans to achieve ranks, command, and other achievements in the Arkansas National Guard.

Author : Michael L. Lanning
Publisher : Citadel
ISBN 13 : 0806541709
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.09/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The African American Soldier written by Michael L. Lanning and published by Citadel. This book was released on 2022-01-25 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Military history’s hidden figures are given their due in this revealing and moving exploration of the pivotal role of African Americans who risked their lives for their country—even as they fought courageously to become full citizens. A retired Lieutenant Colonel, Michael Lee Lanning covers Black soldiers’ involvement in conflicts from the colonial days through more recent struggles of the 21st century. From Bunker Hill to San Juan Heights, from France’s muddy trenches to the Persian Gulf’s scorched sands, African Americans have fought fiercely and bravely. They have battled to overthrow British rule, to preserve the union, to safeguard their allies, and to protect democracy. Many have fought for freedom they would never see for themselves, risking their lives for their country and for the right to become full citizens. In this enlightening account, Michael Lee Lanning explores African Americans’ crucial part in military history over two centuries, beginning in the Revolutionary War and stretching to recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Exploring both notable individual contributions and the role of Black regiments, The African American Soldier pays tribute to the hidden sacrifices and unrelenting valor of those too long overlooked by history.

Author : Roger D. Cunningham
Publisher : University of Missouri Press
ISBN 13 : 0826266509
Total Pages : 229 pages
Book Rating : 4.07/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Black Citizen-soldiers of Kansas, 1864-1901 written by Roger D. Cunningham and published by University of Missouri Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whether slaves or free men, African Americans were generally excluded from military service until Emancipation. Many Americans know the story of the United States Colored Troops, who broke racial barriers in Civil War combat, and of the "buffalo soldiers," who served in the West after that conflict, but African Americans also served in segregated militia units in twenty three states. This book tells the story of that experience in Kansas. Roger Cunningham examines a lost history to show that, in addition to black regulars, hundreds of other black militiamen and volunteers from the Sunflower State provided military service from the Civil War until the dawn of the twentieth century. He tells how African Americans initially filled segregated companies hurriedly organized to defend the state from the threat of Confederate invasion, with some units ordered into battle around Kansas City. Then after the state constitution was amended to admit blacks into the Kansas National Guard, but its generals still refused to integrate, blacks served in reserve militia and independent companies and in all black regiments that were raised for the Spanish American and Philippine wars. Cunningham has researched service records, African American newspapers, and official correspondence to give voice to these citizen soldiers. He shares stories of real people like William D. Matthews, a captain in the First Kansas Colored Infantry who was refused a commission when his regiment was mustered into the Union army; Charles Grinsted, who commanded the first black militia company after the Civil War; and other unsung heroes. More than a military history, Cunningham¿s account records the quest of black men, many of them former slaves, for inclusion in American society. Many came from the bottom of the socioeconomic order and found that as militiamen they could gain respect within their communities. And by marching in public ceremonies and organizing fund raising activities to compensate for lack of financial support from the state, they also strengthened the ties that bound African American communities together. The Black Citizen Soldiers of Kansas, 1864¿1901 broadens the story of these volunteers beyond the buffalo soldiers, telling how they served their state and country in both peace and war. It opens a new chapter in history both for the state and for African Americans throughout the United States.

Author : Phillip McGuire
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 0813148995
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Taps For A Jim Crow Army written by Phillip McGuire and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2014-07-11 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many black soldiers serving in the U.S. Army during World War II hoped that they might make permanent gains as a result of their military service and their willingness to defend their country. They were soon disabused of such illusions. Taps for a Jim Crow Army is a powerful collection of letters written by black soldiers in the 1940s to various government and nongovernment officials. The soldiers expressed their disillusionment, rage, and anguish over the discrimination and segregation they experienced in the Army. Most black troops were denied entry into army specialist schools; black officers were not allowed to command white officers; black soldiers were served poorer food and were forced to ride Jim Crow military buses into town and to sit in Jim Crow base movie theaters. In the South, German POWs could use the same latrines as white American soldiers, but blacks could not. The original foreword by Benjamin Quarles, professor emeritus of history at Morgan State University, and a new foreword by Bernard C. Nalty, the chief historian in the Office of Air Force History, offer rich insights into the world of these soldiers.