Essay On African American Equality

Words: 1080
Pages: 5

What Can Be Learned from African American Participation in WWII
And Their Pursuit of Equality?
Throughout the history of the United States African Americans have fought long and hard for freedom and equality. They were brought to this country in chains, enslaved as property, with no hope of freedom for themselves, or for their children. After the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans struggled to define equality. At that time many African Americans defined freedom as being able to reap the fruit of their labor. Freedom meant black families could be reunited with their loved ones, free to marry, to be educated, and attend religious services without white supervision. While the 13th amendment abolishing slavery and the 15th prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race, were steps toward equality, a ruling by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 held that African Americans could be keep separate as long as their accommodations were equal. By the time WWII began African American citizens were segregated in far
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Two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation’s largest black newspapers launched the “Double V” campaign illuminating the gap in United States ideals and their treatment of African American citizens. The Double V advocated fighting for civil rights at home and fighting facism abroad. The campaign gave a voice to Americans who protested racial discrimination and contributed to the war effort. According to PBS author Henry Louis Gates in “What Was Black America’s Double War?, the Courier encouraged blacks to give their all to the war effort and called on the government to make the Declaration of Independence and the amendments to the Constitution a reality for every citizen regardless of