The Basics

• Grade Level: 9-12

• Time Required: 1-2 class periods
• Subject Areas: US History, AP US History, America in World War I
• Skills: Compare and contrast, Critical analysis, Critical thinking, Historical analysis,
Interpretation, Making inferences and drawing conclusions, Representing ideas and
information in writing, Textual analysis, Using primary sources, Writing skills, Debate
skills
• Author: Jotwan Daniels; Summit High School; Frisco, Colorado

Introduction
Wars have more power than destruction, as wars often unleash powerful social forces. The age of
World War I was no exception, as the war transformed the lives of African-Americans. Black
public opinion about the war was somewhat divided. On one side there were people like W.E.B.
Du Bois, who believe that African-Americans should support the war effort. He believed that
black support for the war would give strength to calls for racial justice. While others, such as
William Monroe Trotter (founder of the Boston Guardian), believed that victims of racism
should not support a racist government. All the same, even though complaints over continued
racial disparities existed in the United States, most African-Americans supported the war.

This lesson will focus on race relations during the summer of 1919 in terms of African-
American’s experiences both at home and abroad during World War I. By looking at a document
of the time and a Washington Post staff writer’s 1999 report of the Washington, DC Race Riot of
1919, students will see how the war effort in Europe affected American race relations.

Guiding Questions
While fighting because “the world must be made safe for democracy”, according to President
Woodrow Wilson, what were the experiences for African-Americans during the war effort? Is
there any irony in Wilson’s quote, why or why not?

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to compare and contrast the experiences of African-Americans, both at
home and abroad, during World War I.

Background
World War I began in 1914 in Europe as the result of a complex series of alliances and treaties.
The United States joined the war in 1917. At home, racial tensions were still high;
Reconstruction was over, yet the country was still segregated. The United States military was
also discriminatory in its treatment and deployment of African-American soldiers – no African-
Americans were allowed to serve in the Marine Corps and the first deployed were limited to non-
combat roles. Later, those African-American soldiers who were in combat roles were transferred
to the French Army. Nevertheless, African-Americans saw service in the military as a way to
advance their civil rights and served with bravery and dedication.
Preparation Instructions
Review the lesson. You will need class sets of the following documents, or you can copy
enough so that each student can have their own:
• Document 1 – “Close Ranks”, an editorial by W.E.B. Du Bois – attached to email
• Copy of “A Black Sergeant’s Letter” by veteran Charles Isum – attached to email
• Copy of “The Washington, DC Race Riot of 1919”, a report by a Washington Post staff
writer in 1999 – attached to email
• Chart paper, butcher paper, or Post-It Pads
Be sure to be familiar with the end of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and race relations in
America in the early 20th century. I would recommend reading America: A Concise History by
James A. Henretta and David Brody, Chapter 22’s section titled “Racial Strife, Labor Unrest, and
the Red Scare”, as well as reading American Destiny: A Narrative of a Nation by Mark C .
Carnes and John A. Garraty, Chapter 23’s section titled “Women and Blacks in Wartime.”

Lesson Activities
• Activity 1 – “Close Ranks”
• Activity 2 – “A Black Sergeant’s Letter” and “The Washington, DC Race Riot of 1919”

Activity 1. “Close Ranks”

Students will begin the lesson by reading “Close Ranks” by W.E.B. Du Bois. Allow students
about 5-10 minutes to read the document on their own, then conclude the activity with a whole-
class discussion with the following questions: “In your opinion, what is the message W.E.B. Du
Bois is trying to convey in his editorial? What is meant by the line ‘Let us, while this war lasts,
forget our special grievances and close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our own white fellow
citizens and the allied nations that are fighting for democracy.’?”

Activity 2. “A Black Sergeant’s Letter” and “The Washington, DC Race Riot of 1919”
Students will begin this activity by placing them in pairs, each pair with some chart paper,
butcher paper, or a Post-It Pad sheet. Students should create Venn diagram on the paper with the
one outside section titled “African-American experience at home”, the other outside section
titled “African-American experience abroad”, and the middle section where the diagram
intersects titled “Similar experiences of African-Americans both at home and abroad”. Once
Venn Diagrams are created, hand out to each pair copies of “A Black Sergeant’s Letter” and
“The Washington, DC Race Riot of 1919.” Have students paste the documents to the
chart/butcher/Post-It Pad paper. Each student in the pair should have a different colored
pen/pencil/marker.

Students will then participate in Collaborative Annotation, in which they will read the documents
silently and mark up the documents with questions, comments, etc. They must interact silently
with their partners by making at least three annotations. Students can pose questions as their
annotations, and are encouraged to respond (silently) to their partner’s comments. For students
whose native language may not be English, have them annotate in their native language. Once
students have collaboratively annotated the documents, they are to complete the Venn Diagram
using evidence from each document. Make sure the students cite which document they use for
each piece of evidence listed.

Conclude this activity by holding a class discussion about the similarities and differences in the
experiences of African-Americans both at home and abroad during World War I. From the
discussion, the teacher can create a whole-class Venn Diagram to be displayed in the classroom.

Assessment
After completing the lesson, students should be able to write a brief (1-2 paragraph) essay based
on the research from Activity 2, responding to the following questions:
• What were similarities and differences between African-Americans fighting abroad, and
living at home, during World War I?
• How did race relations in the United States affect African-American soldiers in World
War I?

As an extension to the assessment, have students research the role of African-Americans in

World War II and write an essay on how the roles played by African-Americans in wartime have
changed, and stayed the same, since World War I.

Students should be able to identify and explain the significance of the following:
• W.E.B. Du Bois
• Sgt. Charles Isum
• World War I
• US History, post-Civil War and post-Reconstruction
• Civil Rights

Resources
• Copy of Document 1 “Close Ranks” editorial by W.E.B. Du Bois – attached to email
• Copy of “A Black Sergeant’s Letter” by veteran Charles Isum – attached to email
• Copy of “The Washington, DC Race Riot of 1919”, a report by a Washington Post staff
writer in 1999 – attached to email
o Perl, Peter. "Race Riot of 1919 Gave Glimpse of Future
Struggles." Washington Post [Washington, DC] 1 Mar. 1999: A1. Print.
• Chart paper or butcher paper
• Pens/Pencils/Markers of multiple colors
• Glue or tape