The 24th Infantry Regiment and the Racial Debate in the U.S. Army (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Experience and Effectiveness of African American Soldiers in WWII
2024
Over the past seventy nine years since the end of the Second World War, there have been numerous historical works created that discuss the events and impacts of the war on the world. These have covered a wide array of topics crucial to understanding how the world today was shaped by events almost one hundred years ago. However, much of this literature focuses on the actions of big players such as generals and leaders of a nation, or the direct sequence of events and consequences of the war. While these are important topics to analyze, as historians we miss the finer details and human elements that influence history if we focus too much on the bigger picture. We risk focusing solely on the accepted sequence of events and the narrative created by influential people at the time if we do not question why certain actions were focused on rather than others. Especially in the context of race relations within the army and the country as a whole during the period of WWII. Therefore I am going to examine one of the factors that greatly influenced not only the U.S. Army in WWII but the war effort as a whole, African American participation and effectiveness. I want to understand how African Americans were treated in the U.S. Army, and whether this affected their decision whether or not to serve. Were the preconceptions that white army leadership had about African American soldiers correct and proved right by the actions of African Americans in the war, or did the African American soldiers prove them wrong?
At the onset of the War for Independence approximately 500,000 African Americans lived in the colonies, of whom some 450,000 (90 percent) were enslaved. Blacks fought in provincial regiments prior to the war, and roughly 5,000 African American soldiers and sailors, free and slave, served the Revolutionary cause. The American population at the time was about 2.1 million; free Blacks comprised 2.4 percent of the overall population, and slaves formed 21.5 percent. Black soldiers” motivation for joining the Continental army and their treatment while serving are important to any discussion of their military experience. Their reasons largely mirrored those of their fellow white and Indian soldiers. Many fought for national independence and hoped-for opportunities in the new republic. Some joined for the adventure of military service, sometimes connected to the prospect of serving alongside family or friends; others were at least partly enticed by the lure of an enlistment bounty or regular pay. And, after the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence, some men fought for their own freedom, or for that of their loved ones. Forced service was another factor. If they were on the militia rolls, both white and black men periodically faced the chance of being drafted for a short-term stint in a Continental regiment. Whites were occasionally compelled to enlist, but enslaved African Americans were more often coerced or forced by their masters to serve. Many, especially in New England, were promised freedom in return for military service; most of those promises were honored, but some veterans were kept in bondage. Of course, the major dividing line between white and black common soldiers was the American system that enslaved ninety percent of the country’s African Americans, and treated free blacks as second-class citizens.
The Journal of Economic History, 2006
By the end of the Civil War 186,017 black men had served in the Union Army, roughly three-quarters of whom were former slaves. Because most black soldiers were illiterate farm workers, the war exposed them to a much broader world. Their wartime experience depended upon their peers, their commanding officers, and where their regiment toured and affected their later life outcomes. In the short run the combat units benefited from company homogeneity, which built social capital and minimized shirking, but in the long run men's human capital and acquisition of information was best improved by serving in heterogeneous companies. artime experience can radically alter the course of men's life. For example, service in World War II and the Vietnam War lowered later earnings because of lost labor market experience, whereas employment during mobilization for World War II permanently raised women's labor force participation rates and lowered both men's and women's wages because of the increase in women's labor supply. 1 Less is known about the effects of past wars. Brevet Major General Alving C. Voris wrote that the Civil War "has greatly interrupted my line of business." 2 Other soldiers, however, may have gained from their Civil War service because it exposed them to a much broader world. This was particularly true for black soldiers, many of whom where illiterate farm workers when they entered the army and over three-quarters of whom were slaves. Ex-slaves faced the challenge of translating their new legal freedom into economic opportunity. A former slave would be
Wearing the gray suit : black enlistment and the Confederate military
Doctoral thesis, University of London., 2001
This thesis examines the role and place of slaves and free black Southerners in the Confederate Army dwing the American Civil War 1861-1865. Much has been written on the use of slaves and free blacks as a conscript labour force for the Confederacy during the war, but there has been little serious examination of their role within the South's military infrastructure. I argue that black Southerners participated for varied reasons and situations throughout the war as an earlier version of twentieth century military support staff Their role in the regiments of the Confederacy provided them with the title of soldier. It was this role which was defined in Confederate legislative policy, supported through military regulations and verified in company muster and pay sheets. In the post war period these same sources of documentation were utilised by Southern legislators, white veterans, and eventually black 'army veterans,' within the former Confederate states, to establish, Confederate veterans pension benefit. Although there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that, depending upon the circumstance, some blacks Southerners actually fought for the Confederacy, overall these occurrences were rare. I argue that up until March 1865, instances of black Southerners in combat situations had more to do with the confusion and 'fog of battle,' then a concerted effort by the military high command to place blacks in the ranks as actual combatants. This idea is further supported in the stories written by white veterans, who, in publications like the Confederate Veteran, spoke of such "occurrences" with pride, while at the same time tempered them with concern for the safety of their property. Overall the research addresses the issues sunounding the role and place of black Southerners within the Confederate Army, and the reasoning behind their involvement in the war effort.
As with any work I have published, online or elsewhere, soon after release some quantity of new material emerges. In the months after submitting the manuscript for Black Soldiers in America’s Wars, well before its publication, I posted a chart based on research for the book that illustrated black exclusion, inclusion, and segregation in five nations’ military forces that fought in America, 1754-1865 (see following page). That post brought responses from several researchers with further information on black participation with French, German, and other forces in America. Here then are those contributions, which add some new insights into Indian slavery in New England, black military service in New France and South Carolina in the 1760s, the 1776-1783 Black Pioneers, black men’s roles with German regiments, and more on black soldiers in Pennsylvania Continental regiments. John Rees, Solebury, Pa.
A Historic Context for the African American Military Experience
The purpose of this report is to recognize and highlight the contributions of African Americans to the military history of the United States. This is accomplished by providing a historic context on the African American military experience for use by Department of Defense (DoD) cultural resource managers. Managers can use this historic context, to recognize significant sites, buildings, and objects on DoD property related to African American military history by nominating them for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. In this manner, civilian and military personnel currently serving in all major services will be made aware of the contributions of African Americans to our military heritage. While the focus of this work is on all-black military units, significant individuals will be recognized also.
2011
This monograph studies the racial integration of Army ground combat units in Eighth (US) Army during the Korean War. The purpose of the monograph is to determine how this change in the utilization of African-American combat soldiers impacted the effectiveness of a US Army organization engaged in fighting a war. This monograph utilizes several methods to accomplish this purpose: study of pertinent records and Army doctrine, primary and secondary source historical analysis, and an inter-disciplinary study of military effectiveness. To answer the primary research question, this monograph also explores in broad terms the origins of the Cold War and US national policy after World War II, the use of Korean soldiers in US Army units during the Korean War, and the Army's segregation policies. This monograph comes to two major findings. First, the integration of African-Americans in Army combat units during the Korean War resulted in improvements in cohesion, leadership and command, fighting spirit, personnel resources and sustainment that increased the combat effectiveness of Eighth (US) Army. Second, contrary to the prevailing Army view, leaders in the Eighth (US) Army held a positive opinion of the ability of African-American soldiers to fight in combat. Both of these findings are evidence of Eighth (US) Army's adaptability.