Before, during, and after World War I, African Americans

African Americans have held a variety of roles throughout American history, which can be divided into three periods: before, during, and after World War I. Early in the 15th century, Africans arrived in America and were treated as slaves. There were numerous unsuccessful efforts to free them from the Whiteman’s rule throughout the years leading up to World War I. Before he could execute the policies for freeing African slaves—during the American Civil War and prior to World War I—people like Abraham Lincoln were assassinated. African Americans are depicted as being just as unhappy during World War I as they were before it. The war that started in the year 1914 and continued up top 1918 did not involve the African Americans for so long because America joined the war in the year 1917. During and after the wall, the African Americans were affected in their economic, social and political grounds. It as well rose their spirit of rebellion towards racial equality which had been earlier established by the whites. However, the impacts of the war on the African Americans can be traced in the American history as a revolution of the blacks and a new stake of life which also motivated the great migration in the American History.

African Americans before WWI

Before the WWI, the relationship between the African Americans was defined by their racial occupation as slaves. There was no transformation that can be dated before the WWI that Africans Americans had. Since the 15th century, the Americans were undemocratic to the blacks who did not have any opposition. Most of these Africans were imported through the slave trade which was the dormant trade until the late 20th century.

African Americans During WW1

When the war started, in 1914, most Americans considered it not important for America to join. The African Americans were kept out of the war as the statements were made by American leaders showing that they had no intention of involving them in the war, until after two years of war. This is because Americans viewed the bloodshed that occurred overseas as something that would not have any effect on their day-to-day lives. However, the war had a great effect on African Americans, especially the Southerners. With Americans who joined the war in 1917, there was an inclusion of some Africans which was a scheme that was borrowed from French, as French had involved the black Americans earlier than the Americans. Again, there was suspicion from the native Americans who thought that involving the black Americans would stimulate them to feel the quest for their freedom. It later came to pass after the WW I came to involve the African Americans from early 1917. However, the war coincides with the great migration which started from 1914 to 1920.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration took place between 1914 and 1920 and about 6 million African-Americans moved out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West. It brought about a transformation of people’s culture and political structure of the cities that they inhabited, for instance, New York, Detroit, and Chicago. The Americans still held their stand against equality of race. The order given was to support racial segregation, therefore, African development politically, socially and economically was all for the advantage of the Americans.

It means that, during the migration, the segregation portrayed their inferiority while it kept the Americans in positions of masters. A court ruling that was made by the Supreme Court made it clear that black people were to be segregated and were therefore supposed to use inferior facilities. Those who opposed the rights of the black claimed that they were not entitled to equal protection under the law. Vigilant mob violence was seen as a legitimate practice among the black people. In this period, the anti-racial leaders were assassinated. During the migration and the WW1, there was the industrial revolution in the whole of Europe and America. African American who migrated to the north benefited from the migration and the industrial revolution. There was industrial growth in America, which brought about employment opportunities for the black people and therefore the African liberation had started becoming fruitful. The expansion of the industrial sector made the industries to absorb the African American as employees.

At this period, the African Americans were in a position to enjoy white collar jobs in contrast to the period before the world war where they acted as slaves. The living standards of the Africans was elevated as the industrialization required manpower which they offered at better terms of work. Therefore, The Great Migration was a movement that was driven by black people in their search for better living standards. However, white southerners claimed that white labor agents spearheaded the movement of the black southerners. The Chicago Defender in the south encouraged the black southerners to take advantage of the prevailing opportunities and adopt a better life. The migrants wrote letters to those who were in the south giving them details of how their lives had been positively transformed by the migration, hence encouraging them to join the migrants. It was through word of mouth that the African American distributed information on the best sites to relocate into. Most people left to look for a job, and after securing one and finding living arrangements, they would send for the other members of their family. Through this migration, the number of Africans who migrated to different parts of America raised to a greater degree.

African Americans After the WWI

After the end of World War 1, and Africans, men and women, had taken a better stance both politically and economically, the problem of segregation in all spheres of lives increased. During the war, the African Americans had prospered in their campaigns for equality. Organizations such as National Association for the Colored Women (NACW) had been prominent during the war. Others such as NAACP had previously insisted for the inclusion of black Americans in the war to fight for their loyalty and dignity. Young elites who had identified themselves as Negros had also participated for their equity and equality in the 1920s when the WW1 was ongoing and few years after it was over.

However, from the 1930s, there was a crisis between the Native Americans and the African Americans who seemed to compete equally in many opportunities. In 1932, approximately 50% of African Americans were sent away from their job positions if a native American appeared to compete for the same position. Racial violence prevailed in America between the whites and the blacks and a declaration by many Americans to fire blacks from any job provided there was any white man jobless, especially in the south. Some presidents, such as President Franklin Roosevelt, were among the white leaders who always fought for the rights of the blacks in America. In fact, he is recorded to have African American advisors during his reign. Before the WW II approached, Black Americans were still in unrest from the white’s supremacy.

Conclusion

African Americans did not engage themselves in the war for any other reason but for them to be granted freedom and the reason that, they hoped that their patriotic sacrifices would have a positive reward by the white masters. While the political leaders like W.E.B Du Bois tried to call for the freedom of African Americans but the cry was never heard. Through the Pan African Congress, there was a challenge to the legitimacy of European colonialism through the leader; Munroe Williams but all these endeavors were turned down. When the black Americans were fighting WWI seeking a social and political change, democracy went further. For instance, the war ended in 1818 and in 1919 February, when people like Dubois were coming from the war, the White rulers did not grant any of their wishes. All this shows that the African Americans have been undergoing hard times outside their African countries. Different authors, scholars and those blacks who have lived in American countries have testified about the segregation that used to happen there on the basis of skin color. However, in the current days, that is, 21st century, there has been a drastic change in the way people have addressed diversity and segregation. The black or African Americans enjoy their rights and there is no or less segregation based on skin color, especially by the authority.

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