Question

the interwar years part 1:
religious and racial tensions application activities
returning soldiers\
w.e.b. dubois may 1919
directions: read the following speech from w.e.b. dubois.
in this speech, dubois identifies 4 things that america does and how african americans react
to those things. as you read, annotate the point dubois makes about each of these things.
(remember that annotating means there must be notes summarizing the main point in the
margins (not just underlining).
1 we are returning from war! the crisis and tens of thousands of black men were
drafted into a great struggle. for bleeding france and what she means and has meant
and will mean to us and humanity and against the threat of german race arrogance, we
fought gladly and the last drop of blood; for america and her highest ideals, we fought
5 in far off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in washington, we
fought in bitter resignation, for the america that represents and gloats in lynching,
disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult — for this, in the hateful upturning
and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight, also.
but today we return! we return from the slavery of uniform which the world’s madness
10 demanded us to don to the freedom of civil garb. we stand again to look america
squarely in the face and call a spade a spade. we sing: this country of ours, despite all
its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land.
it lynches.
and lynching is barbarism of a degree of contemptible nastiness unparalleled in human
15 history. yet for fifty years we have lynched two negros a week, and we have kept
this up right through the war.
it disfranchises its own citizens.
disfranchisement is the deliberate theft and robbery of the only protection of poor
against rich and black against white. the land that disfranchises its citizens and calls
20 itself a democracy lies and knows it lies.
it encourages ignorance.
it has never really tried to educate the negro. a dominant minority does not want
negroes educated. it wants servants, dogs, whores and monkeys. and when this land

Explanation:

1. Main Idea (Overall): W.E.B. DuBois outlines that Black American soldiers returned from WWI to a U.S. that failed to uphold the ideals they fought for, instead perpetuating violence, disenfranchisement, and oppression against them.
2. Main Point 1 (Lynching): America commits the horrific, ongoing barbarism of lynching Black people, with 2 lynchings weekly for 50 years, including during the war.

• Quote: "And lynching is barbarism of a degree of contemptible nastiness unparalleled in human history. Yet for fifty years we have lynched two Negros a week, and we have kept this up right through the war."

1. Main Point 2 (Disfranchisement): America strips its own Black citizens of voting rights, a fundamental protection against exploitation, while falsely calling itself a democracy.

• Quote: "Disfranchisement is the deliberate theft and robbery of the only protection of poor against rich and black against white. The land that disfranchises its citizens and calls itself a democracy lies and knows it lies."

1. Main Point 3 (Encouraging Ignorance): America intentionally withholds education from Black people, seeking to keep them as subservient labor rather than educated citizens.

• Quote: "It has never really tried to educate the Negro. A dominant minority does not want Negroes educated. It wants servants, dogs, whores and monkeys."

1. Main Point 4 (Unjust Hierarchy/Caste System): America enforces a brutal, dehumanizing caste system that treats Black people with violence and degradation, even as they fought for the nation.

• Quote: "For the America that represents and gloats in lynching, disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult — for this, in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight, also."

1. Core Framing Point: Black soldiers fought for American and global ideals abroad, but return to find the U.S. is a "shameful land" that betrays those ideals.

• Quote: "We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land."

Answer:

1. Overall Main Idea: Black WWI veterans returned to an America that betrayed the democratic ideals they fought for, perpetuating anti-Black violence, disenfranchisement, and oppression.
2. Annotated Points & Quotes:

• Lynching: America commits ongoing, barbaric lynching of Black people.

"And lynching is barbarism of a degree of contemptible nastiness unparalleled in human history. Yet for fifty years we have lynched two Negros a week, and we have kept this up right through the war."

• Disfranchisement: America robs Black citizens of voting rights, contradicting its claim to be a democracy.

"Disfranchisement is the deliberate theft and robbery of the only protection of poor against rich and black against white. The land that disfranchises its citizens and calls itself a democracy lies and knows it lies."

• Forced Ignorance: America intentionally denies Black people education to keep them subservient.

"It has never really tried to educate the Negro. A dominant minority does not want Negroes educated. It wants servants, dogs, whores and monkeys."

• Caste System Oppression: America enforces a violent, dehumanizing caste system against Black people.

"For the America that represents and gloats in lynching, disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult — for this, in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight, also."

• Return to a "Shameful Land": Black soldiers fought for American ideals abroad but return to a nation that fails to live up to them.

"We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land."

• Contradiction of Service vs. Treatment: Black soldiers fought loyally for America, even for a government that oppresses them.

"For bleeding France and what she means and what she meant and will mean to us and humanity and against the threat of German race arrogance, we fought gladly and to the last drop of blood; for America and her highest ideals, we fought in far off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in Washington, we fought in bitter resignation..."