How Did African Americans Change Between 1915 And 1920
Between 1915 and 1920 African Americans saw the greatest changes since the Civil War. In those five years, over 700,000 southern African Americans moved northward, lured by the opportunities presented to them in cities such as Chicago and Detroit. As the U.S. geared for the first World War, African Americans filled the labor shortages created in the North. The U.S. entered the Civil War in 1917. Thousands of Black soldiers enlisted. They believed President Woodrow Wilson when he said "out of this conflict you must expect nothing less than the enjoyment of full citizenship rights - the same that are enjoyed by every other citizen."
For the first time in U.S. history, African Americans had the ability to exercise workers' power in the U.S. …show more content…
The American Federation of Labor craft unions refused to organize African Americans and whites together in the same unions. Many of their unions had "color bans" built into their leases which they refused to lift. On top of that, the American ruling class found it unnecessary to give African American soldiers the promises of citizenship upon their return.
African Americans underwent some of the most brutal postwar after effects. Race riots erupted across the United States. Over 200 African Americans were lynched between the years 1917 and 1919, many of them in their Army uniforms.
Most of the blame for the disorganization of the working class lay with the craft unions' policies over the preceding two decades. The major form of union organization was craft unionism, represented by the American Federation of Labor craft union leaders, who saw their position as that of maintaining control over the skills and labor of the narrow-based unions.
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) challenged the AFL's political backwardness. The IWW organized industry-wide, mindless of race, sex, or other divisions. The AFL, however, who were dominant to the IWW, gave the African Americans only two options: organize in segregated unions or remain
For the first time in U.S. history, African Americans had the ability to exercise workers' power in the U.S. …show more content…
The American Federation of Labor craft unions refused to organize African Americans and whites together in the same unions. Many of their unions had "color bans" built into their leases which they refused to lift. On top of that, the American ruling class found it unnecessary to give African American soldiers the promises of citizenship upon their return.
African Americans underwent some of the most brutal postwar after effects. Race riots erupted across the United States. Over 200 African Americans were lynched between the years 1917 and 1919, many of them in their Army uniforms.
Most of the blame for the disorganization of the working class lay with the craft unions' policies over the preceding two decades. The major form of union organization was craft unionism, represented by the American Federation of Labor craft union leaders, who saw their position as that of maintaining control over the skills and labor of the narrow-based unions.
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) challenged the AFL's political backwardness. The IWW organized industry-wide, mindless of race, sex, or other divisions. The AFL, however, who were dominant to the IWW, gave the African Americans only two options: organize in segregated unions or remain