Responses
Question 1 Response: Institutionalized racism was at its height prior to the Great War - otherwise known as World War I - where both Blacks and women were not given full rights as American citizens. Of course, all that changed when both Black men and American women, from rich and middle class families, decided to put their country first.
As for myself, I spent my years in the war with the 93rd Infantry Division, the Blue Helmets, but more specifically, the 369th Infantry Regiment that was also known as the Harlem Hellfighters. If it isn’t obvious from the history books, Blacks were not considered able enough to engage in combat with the enemy up until my regiment landed in France. To be honest, we were not treated as equals by our own countrymen and even the idea of serving our country in the war was either scoffed at or frowned upon. It wasn’t long before we put these doubts and condescending attitudes towards African-American soldiers to rest, during the Second Battle of the Marne, which stopped German advancing on the Western Front. As part of the troops, my job was much like most privates in the regiment - to engage the Germans in battle. As mentioned earlier, our unit was assigned to the French Army since the American Expeditionary Forces did not want to fight with their Black counterparts in the war. Unlike their openly racist behavior, the French were more welcoming and treated us much like their own brothers. Given the outcome of the Second Battle of the Marne, everything changed (Bryan, 2003).
When I returned home, we were literally treated as minor celebrities as we earned two Medals of Honor and a number of Distinguished Service Crosses for putting a stop to the German advance on the Western Front. Since I was a musician, I decided to go back to playing music with a band at a club in New York. It must be pointed out that nothing really changed in this respect as I used to play a bit of music when serving in France as well despite being in the
thick of fighting. Since there’s no place like home, I found no need to live anywhere else in the United States, except where I was born and brought up - in Harlem. After being part of an elite and highly respected infantry unit that won many honors in the Great War and that made our countrymen proud, returning home was the best thing to do. After all, home is where the heart is.
Question 2 Response: A Letter to Peter
Dear Peter,
I hope this letter finds you in the best of health and with no ill-will towards the nation of my birth, the United States. Given its recent acquisition of the Philippines from the Spanish, I must say that this was inevitable. Spain is no longer a colonial power and really had no choice but to cede its territories to the United States, which included not only the Philippines but Guam too.
If you are unhappy about the United States, establishing itself as a colonial power, much like the British and French, there’s no need to worry given that we are probably the most liberal country of all. You have my word that this is a good thing since we understand colonialism as we were in no different a position a few hundred years ago. What we offer is freedom and prosperity that your country will begin to appreciate in a year or two if you haven’t realized it already.
In other words, comfort will soon become a part of your life. Maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of the American Dream that we strive towards achieving each day. If anything, don’t view us Americans just as you would the Spanish as we want you to have your freedom, even if we paid a substantial price for it - about $20 million in all (“Expansion and Empire”, n.d.). Of course, our intention is to build trade relations with countries in Asia and your country has given us that perfect opportunity. Given that one of our own countrymen has made the first transAtlantic
flight, the world is shrinking and it won’t be long before each and every country will have to work together harmoniously in order to enjoy the American prosperity that we savor each day.
Having said that, I would like to reassure you that our foreign policy hinges on this aspect as we have learned from the mistakes of prior colonialists. To be honest, their time has passed. So, while the United States is in a process of expansion, it has already offered certain countries under its control, self-government and which will probably be no different when it comes to the Philippines. So, we’re definitely not going down that road, in the way we deal with countries outside our own borders.
As I close this letter, I would like to thank you for your kind hospitality when I visited the Philippines and which is why this letter is an expression of my gratitude for just that. I do hope that you think no less of me, regardless of the politics of our times, as I do hope to return the favor if you ever wish to visit the United States.
Sincerely,
References
Bryan, J. (2003). Fighting for Respect: African-American Soldiers in WWI. Military History Online Website. Retrieved from http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/wwi/articles/fightingforrespect.aspx
Expansion and Empire, 1867–1914. (n.d.). UNC School of Education. Retrieved from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newsouth/5488
