Racism against African Americans in the U.S. military

African Americans have served the U.S. military in every war the United States has fought. Formalized discrimination against black people who have served in the U.S. military lasted from its creation during the American Revolutionary War to the end of segregation by President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981 in 1948. Although desegregation within the U.S. military was legally established with President Truman's executive order, full integration of African-American servicemen was not established until 1950 in the Navy and Air Force, 1953 in the Army, and 1960 in the Marine Corps.

World War II
During World War II, African-American enlistment was at an all-time high, with more than 1 million serving in the armed forces. Many African-Americans believed that if they could fight and die for their country, their equality would no longer be denied. However, there was a reluctance to allow African-Americans to join combat units and many were against arming black Americans with weapons. However, their eagerness to enlist provided President Roosevelt an opportunity to meet demands and make the steps towards racial integration in the defence industry.

References

Category:Racism
Category:African-American people
Category:Military of the United States