Recommended Readings From the Exhibition
A richly illustrated commemoration of African Americans' roles in World War I highlighting how the wartime experience reshaped their lives and their communities after they returned home. This stunning book presents artifacts, medals, and photographs alongside powerful essays that together highlight the efforts of African Americans during World War I. As in many previous wars, black soldiers served the United States during the war, but they were assigned to segregated units and often relegated to labor and support duties rather than direct combat. Indeed this was the central paradox of the war- these men and women fought abroad to secure rights they did not yet have at home in the States. Black veterans' work during the conflict--and the respect they received from French allies but not their own US military--empowered them to return home and continue the fight for those rights. The book also presents the work of black citizens on the home front. Together their efforts laid the groundwork for later advances in the civil rights movement. We Return Fighting reminds readers not only of the central role of African American soldiers in the war that first made their country a world power. It also reveals the way the conflict shaped African American identity and lent fuel to their longstanding efforts to demand full civil rights and to stake their place in the country's cultural and political landscape.
For the 380,000 African American soldiers who fought in World War I, Woodrow Wilson's charge to make the world "safe for democracy" carried life-or-death meaning. Chad L. Williams reveals the central role of African American soldiers in the global conflict and how they, along with race activists and ordinary citizens, committed to fighting for democracy at home and beyond. Using a diverse range of sources, Torchbearers of Democracy reclaims the legacy of African American soldiers and veterans and connects their history to issues such as the obligations of citizenship, combat and labor, diaspora and internationalism, homecoming and racial violence, "New Negro" militancy, and African American memories of the war.
From bestselling author Max Brooks, the riveting story of the highly decorated, barrier-breaking, historic black regiment--the Harlem Hellfighters In 1919, the 369th infantry regiment marched home triumphantly from World War I. They had spent more time in combat than any other American unit, never losing a foot of ground to the enemy, or a man to capture, and winning countless decorations. Though they returned as heroes, this African American unit faced tremendous discrimination, even from their own government. The Harlem Hellfighters, as the Germans called them, fought courageously on--and off--the battlefield to make Europe, and America, safe for democracy. In THE HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS, bestselling author Max Brooks and acclaimed illustrator Caanan White bring this history to life. From the enlistment lines in Harlem to the training camp at Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France, they tell the heroic story of the 369th in an action-packed and powerful tale of honor and heart.
Choice Outstanding Title When on May 15, 1918 a French lieutenant warned Henry Johnson of the 369th to move back because of a possible enemy raid, Johnson reportedly replied: "I'm an American, and I never retreat." The story, even if apocryphal, captures the mythic status of the Harlem Rattlers, the African-American combat unit that grew out of the 15th New York National Guard, who were said to have never lost a man to capture or a foot of ground that had been taken. It also, in its insistence on American identity, points to a truth at the heart of this book--more than fighting to make the world safe for democracy, the black men of the 369th fought to convince America to live up to its democratic promise. It is this aspect of the storied regiment's history--its place within the larger movement of African Americans for full citizenship in the face of virulent racism--that Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War brings to the fore. With sweeping vision, historical precision, and unparalleled research, this book will stand as the definitive study of the 369th. Though discussed in numerous histories and featured in popular culture (most famously the film Stormy Weather and the novel Jazz), the 369th has become more a matter of mythology than grounded, factually accurate history--a situation that authors Jeffrey T. Sammons and John H. Morrow, Jr. set out to right. Their book--which eschews the regiment's famous nickname, the "Harlem Hellfighters," a name never embraced by the unit itself--tells the full story of the self-proclaimed Harlem Rattlers. Combining the "fighting focus" of military history with the insights of social commentary, Harlem's Rattlers and the Great War reveals the centrality of military service and war to the quest for equality as it details the origins, evolution, combat exploits, and postwar struggles of the 369th. The authors take up the internal dynamics of the regiment as well as external pressures, paying particular attention to the environment created by the presence of both black and white officers in the unit. They also explore the role of women--in particular, the Women's Auxiliary of the 369th--as partners in the struggle for full citizenship. From its beginnings in the 15th New York National Guard through its training in the explosive atmosphere in the South, its singular performance in the French army during World War I, and the pathos of postwar adjustment--this book reveals as never before the details of the Harlem Rattlers' experience, the poignant history of some of its heroes, its place in the story of both World War I and the African American campaign for equality--and its full importance in our understanding of American history.
From 1898 onward, the expansion of American militarism and empire abroad increasingly relied on black labor, even as policy remained inflected both by scientific racism and by fears of contagion. Black men and women were mobilized for service in the Spanish-Cuban-American War under the War Department's belief that southern blacks carried an immunity against tropical diseases. Later, in World Wars I and II, black troops were stigmatized as members of a contagious "venereal race" and were subjected to experimental medical treatments meant to curtail their sexual desires. By turns feared as contagious and at other times valued for their immunity, black men and women played an important part in the U.S. military's conscription of racial, gender, and sexual difference, even as they exercised their embattled agency at home and abroad. By following the scientific, medical, and cultural history of African American enlistment through the archive of American militarism, this book traces the black subjects and agents of empire as they came into contact with a world globalized by warfare.
Other Local Archives and Libraries
- Georgia Southern University Special Collections Lane Library’s special collections includes the university archives of the Armstrong Campus and the Florence Powell Minis Room Collection. The university archives documents Armstrong’s history and served as a resource for Janet Stone’s scholarly history, From the Mansion to the University: A History of Armstrong Atlantic State University 1935-2010. Endowed by the Minis family of Savannah, the Minis Room houses books about Savannah and the Coastal region, including works by Savannah authors. The Special Collection are open for research by appointment and we are always happy to introduce students to these collections, which include Alumni donations and feature student work. The online guide to the Special Collections is a good starting point, with links to digitized collections, such as The ‘Geechee yearbook (1937-1995), The Inkwell, Armstrong’s student newspaper and more. Also, contact the special collections librarian to arrange a visit to the Special Collections, for research or a class. See Special Collections at the Lane Library (Armstrong Campus) The Zach S. Henderson Library’s Special Collections was founded in the 1970’s. Housed within the department are rare books, manuscript collections, and artifacts relating to the history of the Statesboro region and Georgia Southern University. Special Collections has materials documenting the Civil War, World War II, southern railroads, early businesses, and local genealogy. Popular collections include: the Okefenokee Swamp Collection, the Bulloch County Historical Society Collection, and the Lucile Hodges Collection. Also available for research are the Marvin S. Pittman Collection and the Charles Holmes Herty Collection, to name only a few. See Special Collections at the Henderson Library (Statesboro Campus)
- Catholic Diocese of Savannah: Archives & Records Department The mission of the Archives & Records Department is to administer the Archives & Records program which manages records created by the Diocese of Savannah; to serve as the institutional repository for records of historical and enduring value; and to promote an understanding of the Catholic Church, her history, and her heritage in South Georgia. The department is erected in accordance with Canon 482.
- City of Savannah: Municipal Archives & Records Management The Municipal Archives & Records Management division: Collects, manages preserves and makes accessible records documenting the City of Savannah's history Administers the records management program and the City Records Center to increase the efficiency of City agencies Shares the City's history with City employees, citizens and visitors through outreach activities
- Georgia Historical Society As a non-university research and educational institution, the Georgia Historical Society has collected, preserved, and shared some of the most important documents, rare books, maps, photographs, and artifacts that tell the story of our state’s journey through time. The cornerstones of the collection are Hodgson Hall, the National Historic Landmark building that serves as the GHS Research Center, and the impressive group of manuscripts, rare books, and archival materials housed in the adjacent Abrahams Archival Annex. The collection includes more than 4 million manuscripts, 100,000 photographs, 30,000 architectural drawings, 15,000 books, and thousands of maps, newspapers, portraits, and artifacts. The papers of many influential Georgians, including Griffin Bell, Vince Dooley, Benjamin Hawkins, Helen Dortch Longstreet, Juliette Gordon Low, and Bernie Marcus, are held in the society’s collections. Perhaps the most significant document in the collection is an original draft copy of the U.S. Constitution that belonged to Abraham Baldwin, a Georgia delegate to the national constitutional convention of 1787.
Veteran Records
- Veterans History Project (LOC) Includes correspondence, personal narratives, and visual materials.
- Records of the Veterans Administration (VA/NARA) Guide to the National Archives holdings of Veterans Administration records covering the years 1773-1985.
- Veterans' Service Resources (NARA) Links to request military service records, research military records, replace lost medals and awards, locate veterans and service members, and browse WWII photos.
- Request Military Service Records (NARA) Note: Records of individuals who left service less than 62 years ago are subject to access restrictions.
Statesboro-Bulloch County Library
- Public History Files Master IndexA contents listing of all currently digitized folders in the Public History Files located at the Statesboro-Bulloch County Library.
- Fold3 by Ancestry Access may be available at Statesboro-Bulloch County Library. Fold3 is a subscription-based genealogy and historical records website owned by Ancestry. It specializes in providing access to military records, with a focus on documents related to the United States military history.
- HeritageQuest HeritageQuest Online is a genealogy research database provided by ProQuest. Access may be available at Statesboro-Bulloch County Library