In April 1917, black Americans reacted in various ways to the entry of
the United States into World War I in the name of "Democracy." Some
expressed loud support, many were indifferent, and others voiced outright
opposition. All were agreed, however, that the best place to start guaranteeing
freedom was at home.
Almost immediately, rumors spread across the
nation that German agents were engaged in "Negro Subversion" and that
African Americans were potentially disloyal. Despite mounting a constant watch on
black civilians, their newspapers, and their organizations, the domestic
intelligence agents of the federal government failed to detect any black traitors or
saboteurs. They did, however, find vigorous demands for equal rights to be granted
and for the 30-year epidemic of lynching in the South to be eradicated. In Race,
War, and Surveillance, Mark Ellis examines the interaction between the deep-seated
fears of many white Americans about a possible race war and their profound ignorance
about the black population. The result was a "black scare" that lasted
well beyond the war years.
Mark Ellis is Senior Lecturer in
History at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.
June
2001
256 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4, index, append.
cloth 0-253-33923-5
$39.95 s / £30.50
Contents
African Americans
and the War for Democracy, 1917
The Wilson Administration and Black
Opinion, 1917--1918
Black Doughboys
The Surveillance of African
American Leadership
W. E. B. Du Bois, Joel E. Spingarn, and Military
Intelligence
Diplomacy and Demobilization,
1918--1919
Conclusion
In April 1917, black Americans reacted in various ways to the entry of
the United States into World War I in the name of "Democracy." Some
expressed loud support, many were indifferent, and others voiced outright
opposition. All were agreed, however, that the best place to start guaranteeing
freedom was at home.
Almost immediately, rumors spread across the
nation that German agents were engaged in "Negro Subversion" and that
African Americans were potentially disloyal. Despite mounting a constant watch on
black civilians, their newspapers, and their organizations, the domestic
intelligence agents of the federal government failed to detect any black traitors or
saboteurs. They did, however, find vigorous demands for equal rights to be granted
and for the 30-year epidemic of lynching in the South to be eradicated. In Race,
War, and Surveillance, Mark Ellis examines the interaction between the deep-seated
fears of many white Americans about a possible race war and their profound ignorance
about the black population. The result was a "black scare" that lasted
well beyond the war years.
Mark Ellis is Senior Lecturer in
History at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.
June
2001
256 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/4, index, append.
cloth 0-253-33923-5
$39.95 s / £30.50
Contents
African Americans
and the War for Democracy, 1917
The Wilson Administration and Black
Opinion, 1917--1918
Black Doughboys
The Surveillance of African
American Leadership
W. E. B. Du Bois, Joel E. Spingarn, and Military
Intelligence
Diplomacy and Demobilization,
1918--1919
Conclusion
Race, War, and Surveillance: African Americans and the United States Government during World War I
352
Race, War, and Surveillance: African Americans and the United States Government during World War I
352
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780253109323 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Indiana University Press |
| Publication date: | 07/26/2001 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 352 |
| File size: | 526 KB |