The Unforgettable Bravery of the Harlem Hellfighters
How the Afro-American regiment helped win the war
In 1914, as Europe was plunged into war, American President Woodrow Wilson declared that his country would remain neutral despite pressure to intervene and support the Allied war efforts.
When America finally entered the conflict they still had to deal with issue of troop numbers, despite large enlisting programmes nationwide. At the time, the American military was entirely segregated and for African Americans enlisting to fight for their country was incredibly challenging.
According to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. the hypocrisy of President Woodrow Wilson was plain to see. After all, he had openly refused to support a federal anti-lynching bill at time when one lynching a week was common in mostly former Confederate states.
In 1917 it was finally decided to include black Americans in the draft, despite the ongoing and widespread prejudice back at home. After all, the only certainty of war was that death never discriminated.
As reported by the American Battle Monuments Commission more than 350,000 African Americans served in the Great War, the majority of whom were assigned to gruelling manual labour such as building roads and digging trenches. Only about one in 10 African…
