Strength for the Fight: A History of Black Americans in the Military

Since colonial times, Black people have made an increasingly important contribution to American military might. However, helping defeat America's foes did not gain acceptance within the military. Besides fighting the wartime enemy, black Americans faced a second and far more dangerous foe--racism, which sharply restricted their opportunities within the armed services and in civil society as well. In this volume, the author tells of the heroic deeds and humiliating obstacles confronting black fighting forces and shows how black protest, civil unrest, military manpower needs, war, and peace interacted over 200 years to create an integrated, yet racially troubled, American military establishment.