The African American contribution to the Second World War: remembering inclusion, exclusion, segregation in the United States Armed Forces

Abstract

This thesis examines how the contribution of African American soldiers in the Second World war is represented in popular media. The United States fought against the Axis, while having an interesting paradox. America claimed to fight for democracy, but only within a segregated society. As a result, African American troops could join the armed forces, but largely in support roles. This thesis shows that while the African American community made a considerable contribution to the Second World War, they are not remembered as having done so. The focus is on popular media such as films, as well as research materials such as history books. The first chapter analyzes how the contribution of the African American forces is remembered in various media. The second chapter examines and defines the African American contribution to the war in specialist literature. There is a considerable difference between the two. The last chapter examines the contribution of women in the Red Army in the Second World War and compares it to the remembrance of the African American contribution to victory. In the discussion of this comparison several defining factors are identified. While segregation in the US military no longer legally exists, it is still present in the history books. While America might not be a segregated society anymore, the history of the African American people in the Second World War is marginalized in the public sphere.