Final Project

In 1619 the first slaves were brought to Norfolk, Virginia and ever since then people that look to have darken skin have always been seen as an undesirable, so far so that many people up until the past 100 years have been taken advantage of them in most ways, and although these past 100 years haven’t been perfect for them, they have earned their respect in many ways, and have fought for it for hundreds of years. One of those ways they had proven themselves are in war… and in many ways they have shown determination beyond what anyone can ask of them. Many ask why they must prove themselves and, in many ways, they relate to their past as slaves to show that they are equal to others, and to me they are and have always been equal. My question is why have darker skinned people always been looked down upon if their actions prove to show otherwise?

In the World War One, the 369th Infantry regiment, or Harlem Hell fighters, were a pure black American infantry unit that had been assigned to the French army in April 1918. They had every right to wait to go to war or worse, but they went anyways during the heavily segregated time and had gone against all odds to get their own unit that would later get close to if not 170 Criox de Guerre. (https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/wwi/war#:~:text=The%20369th%20Infantry%20Regiment%2C%20known,as%20the%20Meuse%2DArgonne%20Offensive. No publisher name or date)

In World War 2, the Tuskegee airmen were in the same fashion not being allowed to fly until a few years into the war, and in every fashion given “hand me downs” from aircraft to tools and parts. With the most recognized of all the groups in the later years were the 332nd fighter group, which were known for losing a few bombers compared to other units, losing only 25 bombers out of the hundreds they escorted being shot down. Over their career of over 2 years, they had flown over 15,000 sorties and destroyed 36 planes in air combat and 237 on the ground, with an estimated 1,000 transport vehicles. Over the 2 years of combat they had lost 66 in combat while 32 became prisoners of war. In 2007 more than 300 of the original Airmen were able to be given the Congressional Gold Medal.

(https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/tuskegee-airmen , History.com editors, November 9th 2009)

As proven with the 2 paragraphs above, they fought with valor in war, and in peace for their freedom from segregation. While during peace time prior to the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, most if not all applications of life were separated for blacks or for whites in the way of signs for bathrooms, water fountains, and stores on occasion saying, “for blacks” or “for whites”. (https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017862110/ , Bubley and Esther, 1943)

In August of 1963, the now famous Martin Luther King jr., and a few other notable people such as Bayard Rustin, and A. Philip Randolf had walked into Washington DC and had protested with over 200 thousand people over the acts of history ( https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement , History.com’s Editors, Oct 27th 2009). Every time they went out to protest peacefully some people never came back due to lynching’s from people against the movement (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/145807630 ,Letter 1, No author, found on archives). Today is the result of all the actions over the past 100 years. they had proven themselves more resilient and determined than any other act over the past 100 years and had made history. Because of their actions, most of the segregation is over but not everyone agrees which has left racism all over the country, which will never change and probably can never change. I believe they should have been given equal rights long before they had gotten them for all these reasons and due to that I feel it is our mistake that has and always will stick with us.

I believe I had answered my question of “why have darker skinned people always been looked down upon if their actions prove to show otherwise?” with the paragraphs above, as in all cases America has not been kind to them unless they had done something unusual and out of the ordinary for their kinds of units. All I can do is to give my own opinion on something that is a knife’s edge. Some people look at others as objects or something to use, and I feel everyone is otherwise as every person you talk to or read about have a story, they may have had a troubled life as a kid, which lead to bad decisions. People only look at the bad as that’s all that is talked about and all that is shared. You look at a soldier you think war, you look to darker skinned people, you think opposite of you but none of that is true as you are looking at the wrong things, you must realize each and everyone had a childhood, good or bad and a family, weather it be close to home or separated by others. In my opinion, the only way to fix the problem is to look at others with respect and look at them as people with their own lives and own childhoods. You see anyone like this, and you realize they had a life like yours and were trying to make by.

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Bibliography

(https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/wwi/war#:~:text=The%20369th%20Infantry%20Regiment%2C%20known,as%20the%20Meuse%2DArgonne%20Offensive. No publisher name or date)

(https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/tuskegee-airmen , History.com editors, November 9th 2009)

(https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017862110/ , Bubley and Esther, 1943)

( https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement , History.com’s Editors, Oct 27th 2009

(https://catalog.archives.gov/id/145807630 ,Letter 1, No author, found on archives)