Download BLACK PATRIOTS

BLACK
PATRIOTS
The AfricanAmerican
Community
Response to
America’s Wars
A Research Project
Celebrating AfricanAmerican Freedom
Fighters
THE
REVOLUTIONARY
WAR 1775
TO
911 / THE WAR ON
TERROR 2002
Why is it that often the role
of African Americans in
many periods of history is
not emphasized?
The American Revolution (1775-1783)
The War of 1812 (1812-1815)
The Mexican American War (1846-1848)
The American Civil War (1861-1865)
These four wars, plus the six other wars in this exhibit,
produced an unbelievable array of African-American Soldiers
of Liberty. The other wars included:
The Indian Campaigns (1866-1890)
The Spanish-American War (1898)
World War I-European War (1914-1918)
World War II-European War (1939-1945)
The Korean War (1950-1953)
The Vietnam War (1959-1973)
The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)
REVOLUTIONARY
WAR 1775-1783
Colin Powell on
blacks fighting
during the
Revolutionary War
When war comes and blood is being shed and
casualties are being experienced, you really have to
start looking for manpower. And by now, it is known
that slaves can be soldiers. Free black men can be
soldiers. And the British were trying to recruit
blacks, promising them their freedom. So as was
often the case in our history, market forces -- isn't
that a horrible way to put it? -- market forces
became operative for purposes of strategic necessity.
And so black men were recruited, and it was
determined that they could be good soldiers. So
necessity has always pushed us along.
Illustration from the 1855 edition of "Colored Patriots of the
American Revolution" by W.C. Nell shows Crispus Attucks,
the "first martyr of the American Revolution" fired on by
British soldiers in Boston on March 5, 1770.
The Black Patriots Foundation
“ A “Celebration of Patriotism Gala” at the Embassy of
France to honor the 220th anniversary of the Battle of
Yorktown that secured us as a nation.
Located on the National Mall to honor the more than 5000
African Americans who bravely participated in the American
Revolutionary War effort.
Unlike the Continental Army, the Navy
recruited both free and enslaved blacks
from the very start of the Revolutionary
War -- partly out of desperation for
seamen of any color, and partly because
many blacks were already experienced
sailors, having served in British and
state navies, as well as on merchant
vessels in the North and the South.
17 June 1775 Several black soldiers (most
notably Peter Salem and Salem Poor) helped
defend Breed’s Hill on Charlestown Heights
overlooking Boston Harbor. Although
tactically a British victory, this confrontation
was psychologically significant for the
colonists. The patriots met British regulars
and successfully held on to their position
until they ran out of ammunition.
The War of 1812
1812-1815
8 January 1815 Two battalions of
430 black soldiers fought with
General Andrew Jackson at the
Battle of New Orleans, two weeks
after the Treaty of Ghent had
been signed, ending the War of
1812.
Those Blacks who were willing, able, or chosen to fight the
British for America's defense did so with unusual valor.
They fought in various campaigns on both sea and land.
Blacks served in naval vessels, in mixed regiments, and in
all "colored" regiments. Many were taken as prisoners by
the British. One exemplary unit was the TWENTY-SIXTH
U. S. INFANTRY REGIMENT consisting of 247 "colored"
recruits from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the
command of Captain William Bezean. Many of these
willing and able regiments were held at bay, but many
provided the backup and labor to keep the army running
effectively. Sketchy records show blacks at the BATTLES
OF LAKE ERIE and NEW ORLEANS.
The Mexican American War
1846-1848
Black soldiers in the Mexican American War
comprised a list of freedmen who felt they
were mainly showing loyalty to their country
by fighting for LIBERTY. Military records
have produced names for many of the
soldiers. The First Regiment of Volunteers,
New York; the Fourth Artillery; and the
Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Thirteenth
Infantry regiments provided many names.
Besides the infantry, ample names were
connected with the U. S. Navy, and many
were company musicians.
The Civil War
1861-1865
BHM THEME
20112011_Black_Hist
ory_Theme.pdf
From the beginning, both black slaves and freeman saw
this opportunity to serve in the military as a method for
relinquishing their chains and proving their inclusive
worthiness to this nation. On the whole, there was
widespread resistance by whites on both the Union blue
and Confederate gray sides in accepting Blacks as part of
the military.
Equality was hard to achieve for the African American
during this ERA in history. The war was a bloody one,
and it cost the lives of over 38,000 Blacks seeking to be a
part of the FREEDOM ON AMERICAN SOIL.
Effective January
1, 1863, the
Proclamation
emancipated
Confederate slaves
and authorized
the use of black
soldiers by Union
troops. By the end
of the war about
186,000 African
American men
had enlisted.
Black Seaman’s
memorial
U.S. Colored Troops--Wounded in Action
Despite problems getting paid, lower wages than white
soldiers when they finally were paid, segregated units, and
high ranks for whites only, the U.S. Colored Troops
displayed a tenacious loyalty to the Union cause.
54th Mass. inspired the movie “Glory”
Blacks served in various capacities in the
Union army. At first Union leaders allowed
no black men to be commissioned officers,
but eventually they served as
noncommissioned officers, doctors, and
chaplains.
African
Americans at
Sea
Service records for over
eighteen thousand
African American Civil
War seamen have now
been identified by the
Naval Historical Center
at the Washington, D. C.,
Navy Yard.
In the center is
Lt. John P.
Shaw, killed in
action at the
Wilderness,
Virginia, May 5,
1864, and on the
right is Lt. T.
Fry. The
"contrabands"
with them are
not named.
THE INDIAN CAMPAIGNS, 1866-1890
Today, significant records have surfaced showing
Black soldiers and scouts playing valuable roles in
the peacekeeping protective forces of the early
WEST. One renowned Black group, called the
BUFFALO SOLDIERS, supplied a protective force
for the expanding WEST. They composed the 9th,
10th, 24th, and 25th CAVALRIES. The 9th and
10th Cavalries were former all black regiments in
the Civil War. The other two units were organized
to increase the protective needs of the westward
moving pioneers of Western America.
The Spanish
-American
War 1898
Theodore Roosevelt, who later became U. S.
President (1901-1909), served along side black
soldiers in the SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR as
part of the unit, "THE ROUGH RIDERS." On
one Cuban mission, the 10th Calvary rescued the
Rough Riders. Theodore Roosevelt said, "I don't
think that any Rough Rider will ever forget the
tie that binds us to the 9th and 10th Calvary."
Lieutenant John J. Pershing was able to
comment, "White regiments, Black regiments,
Regulars, and Rough Riders, representing the
young manhood of the North and South, fought
shoulder to shoulder. All of the soldiers were
mindful only of their common duty as
Americans."
World War I
1914-1918
When World War I erupted, the
Black soldier had learned to see his
opportunity in the military as a
means of expressing his patriotism
and bravery for the country in
which he so totally sought
inclusion. Racism on the home
front was not "dead," but the
Black soldier wanted to establish
his reputation as a defender of
freedom and liberty.
More than 350,000 African Americans
served in segregated units during World
War I, mostly as support troops. Several
units saw action alongside French soldiers
fighting against the Germans, and 171
African Americans were awarded the
French Legion of Honor. In response to
protests of discrimination and
mistreatment from the black community,
several hundred African American men
received officers' training in Des Moines,
Iowa. By October 1917, over six hundred
African Americans were commissioned as
captains and first and second lieutenants.
World War II
1941-1945
During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on
December 7, 1941, Dorie Miller, a naval messman
on board the Arizona, pulled his dying captain off
the deck and then manned a machine gun. Miller
shot down four planes and was awarded the Navy
Cross for his bravery and alertness. Although
barely out of his teens, he died in a subsequent
encounter. His valor was particularly significant
because, in spite of numerous protests by African
Americans, the Navy generally only allowed
blacks to serve in its Messmen's Branch. Miller's
feat showed that even without training, African
American sailors were effective in combat.
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
Racial exclusionary policies were in full force in certain areas of
the military during the late 1930's and early 1940's. General H.
H. Arnold had made it clear that "no Blacks would ever pilot a
plane in the upcoming war." The legal segregation of African
Americans did not allow them to receive the necessary training
to become FIGHTER AIR PILOTS at white-operated pilot
schools. After some protest, the WAR DEPARTMENT, in 1941,
agreed to accommodate an all-black FLIGHT SCHOOL at
TUSKEGEE AIR FORCE BASE. That base produced the first
African American COMBAT FIGHTER PILOTS, and they
became known as the TUSKEGEE AIRMEN of the 99TH
PURSUIT SQUADRON. Out of this squadron came Colonel
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., son of the first African American
General, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. Colonel Davis was awarded the
SILVER STAR for gallantry in COMBAT. He was later
promoted to general in 1965.
This photograph
documents the arrival of
the first African American
nurses in England.
African American
fighter pilots were
trained as a part of the
Army Air Force, but
only at a segregated base
located in Tuskegee,
Alabama. Hundreds of
airmen were trained and
many saw action.
The Korean War
1950-1953
The Korean War was the
turning point in the acceptance
of African Americans as
proven SOLDIERS OF
LIBERTY in the UNITED
STATES MILITARY. The
Army thus ELIMINATED 300
ALL-BLACK UNITS. There
were more than 300,000
AFRICAN AMERICANS
integrated into previously allwhite units when the Korean
War ended on July 27, 1953.
The
Vietnam
War 19591973
For African Americans, changes were suddenly happening
in America. On June 29, 1964, The Civil Rights Bill was
passed, banning discrimination in VOTING, JOBS, and
PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS, and, by December 31,
1964, the United States had sent 184,300 American
soldiers to SOUTH VIETNAM. The DRAFT BOARDS all
over the United States were actively recruiting and
drafting heavily for men and women, both black and
white, TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY IN VIETNAM.
African Americans decidedly chose to serve the causes of
America, even though educational, employment, and
housing opportunities were not widespread in 1965. In the
military, the African American soldier was able to
maximize some degree of service rank and gain a form of
respect which comes with loyalty to one's country.
The Persian
Gulf War
1990-1991
ON JANUARY 17, 1991, OPERATION DESERT STORM
destroyed the IRAQI COMMUNICATION SYSTEM and
crippled the entire IRAQI ARMY. By February 27, 1991, the
last of the Iraqi army was either captured, killed, or in retreat.
The devastation in this area was awesome. KUWAIT'S rich oil
reserves were partially destroyed by the Iraqis, but the Kuwaitis
were saved by a mixed ARMY OF LIBERATORS. Out of the
combined U. S. and international forces came 400,000 men and
women, and, among them, 113,000 African American soldiers
participated in this freedom mission.
The War on
Terror
9/11/01-
Photo by office of social studies 9/11
Photo by office of social studies 9/12