Did you know that
- Black Minutemen took part in the battles of Lexington and Concord, which opened the American Revolution?
- Black soldiers played a decisive role in the victory of the North in the Civil War?
- Black American soldiers fought on both side in the Philippines insurrection against American rule from 1898 to 1902?
- In World War I, General Pershing asked the French Army not to praise Black American troops in the presence of white Americans?
- In 1970 Blacks took 22 percent of American casualties in Vietnam although they were on 11 percent of U.S. Forces?
Dr. Robert W. Mullen recounts the hidden history of Blacks in America's wars, from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam, tracing their changing attitudes towards service in the military.
For much of American history, Blacks hoped that their participation in the armed forces and their heroism and sacrifice on the battlefield would help them win full rights in civilian society. In recent years this attitude has changed. Many Black Americans now feel they should not have to serve in the military and make battlefield sacrifices for a society in which they do not have full civil and human rights. Dr. Mullen probes the reasons for this shift in attitudes.