African American Soldiers on the Front Lines

Despite fighting for the same cause, most regiments in the U.S. military were segregated by race. Boot camps, training facilities, and deployments continued to be separated by race. Many African Americans were inspired by the black soldiers from Haiti and Senegal fighting for France and earning respect, and hoped that they would receive the same recognition from their fellow Americans. Many saw this as their opportunity to push for equality at home by supporting their country and fighting abroad.

Though support was high during the war effort, there were small groups of African Americans who resisted fighting in World War I because they did not want to die for a country that did not see them as equals. Radical newspapers like The Messenger discouraged African Americans from participating in the war effort, equating compulsory service in the military to slavery. These groups in part were heavily monitored by government agencies because of their actions.

After the Civil War, the army eliminated volunteer regiments of African Americans, and instead set up official regiments for black soldiers with white officers, which built racism into the system from the onset. When the draft was implemented, African Americans faced the opposite problem; most of those on the draft board were white. Many African Americans still volunteered in huge numbers, to the point where many offices stopped taking volunteers.

Despite the adversity, many African American leaders and communities persisted that African Americans serve their country in World War I. Efforts were made to establish officer training camps focused specifically for African Americans, something that was not offered by any branch of the military at the time. Howard University created the Central Committee of Negro College Men which focused on finding and developing promising young black men to become military officers, and eventually commended 639 black men in October 1917. This small step helped provide opportunities for African American men to succeed in a society that had very little interest in their advancement.

Since African Americans were grouped together in regiments, they depended on each other for support in the face of racism from their own country. Many soldiers wanted to fight on the front lines but were relegated to menial labor like dockwork. Though many struggled against racial discrimination and prejudice from both American and French soldiers, they were an important part of helping the war effort.

Some black soldiers saw combat, most notably the 369th Regiment, which would become to be known as the "Harlem Hellfighters" for not only their fierceness on the battlefield but also for their world class band. Two soldiers from the regiment, Henry Johnson and Needham Roberts were the first Americans awared the French Croix de Guierre and Medal of Honor. The 369th Regiment were successful in resisting German forces for 191 days and returned back to the United States as hereos.