World War I, Fears of White Americans, and the Black Militancy Leaders Capitalized On

African Americans have fought in every U.S. war since the creation of the country, but in many instances, they experienced racism while serving. Learning about the Civil Rights Movement that took place after World War II has become common, but even before the Second World War, African Americans were attempting to use their military service as a platform for gaining equal rights. During World War I, many African Americans in the U.S. military were placed under the leadership of the French military and were treated with more respect than they had experienced at home. After receiving better treatment from the French, African American soldiers returned to the U.S. radicalized and more willing to use violence to fight racism at home. Through the use of works by W.E.B. DuBois, William Colson, Marcus Garvey, and theNAACP, it is apparent that the war ushered in a new era known as the New Negro Movement. These men’swork reveal that the treatment African American soldiers received abroad under the French vs. American leadership resulted in the radicalization of the soldiers and African American leaders such as Marcus Garvey, W.E.B DuBois, and William Colson capitalized on the new radicalization to promote their ideas. This movement exposes how war can radicalize minority groups and sometimes result in further equality and respectfor one another. It also demonstrates the fact that the Civil Rights Movement was not African Americans’ firstattempt using violence to gain equality. This project outlines the violence used against African Americans that protested Jim Crow laws and segregation and the purpose of this essay was to inform the public about the longhistory of African Americans’ fight for equality, but through the use of military service and radicalization abroad, as well as at home over the works of African American leaders