Thesis
369th infantry in the trenches during World War I fighting the Germans.
Courtesy of North Jersey Genealogy and History Center.
Courtesy of North Jersey Genealogy and History Center.
The 369th infantry, otherwise known as the Harlem Hellfighters, became the first all African American infantry unit that fought in the trenches of World War I. They faced the conflict of racism and segregation, and even though these men were forced to compromise by fighting alongside the French instead of their fellow Americans, they still willingly laid down their lives to protect America’s freedom.
"We return. We return from fighting. We return fighting! Make way for democracy! We saved it in France, and by the Great Jehovah, we will save it in the United States of America, or know the reason why." - W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963), historian, educator, civil rights advocate |
W.E.B DuBois. Courtesy of National Parks Service.
|