Black Americans in Us Military

In this day and age the US is regarded as the most powerful nation in the world. This reputation is owed to the battles the country has fought successfully. From a mere look one can assume that the whites who are the majority in this country earned this victory single handedly. In fact very little is said about the black Americans who lost their lives while fighting for the liberation of this nation. Such persons included Crispus Attucks who died by the gun during an encounter with the British soldiers. This paper will therefore shed light on the contributions made by black Americans in the US military.

The US has been engaged in many battles including the world wars and the civil war just to mention but a few. The US is comprised of over forty states and thus the battles would not have been won if these states did not participate collectively. Black Americans are believed to be descendants of Africans who were brought into the US to work in the plantation farms. During their stay they were subjected to all sorts of brutality including racial discrimination. The natives never thought the blacks could be of any help to them. They were viewed as an inferior race and thus they were rarely recruited in the military.

When the situation deteriorated the white farmers thought of including slaves in the armies but later abandoned the idea because they saw these slaves as enemies who would use the slightest opportunity to their advantage. Washington was the first state to include blacks in its army. But this consideration was caused by the need to increase manpower in the military. Having a large army increased the chances of success in the conquest and that is why Washington allowed black Americans to serve in the army.

To the slaves the wars were seen as a window of opportunity for them to be liberated from their masters. Joining the military was the surest way of guaranteeing their freedom. In fact majority of them joined the British army. This implies that all they needed was freedom. But this idea was not accepted by their masters and so majority of them had to escape from the farms in order to be recruited in the military. Once accepted they were assigned manual jobs depending on their skills. Some worked as mechanics, cooks and other junior positions. But as time moved by there were military units that were fully designated to recruiting blacks. However, this was only experienced in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Perhaps this is what contributed to the effectiveness of such units because they did not suffer from internal conflicts as would have been the case if they were to work along with other dominant groups.

From another perspective, allowing black Americans to join the military helped in cutting back on the expenses. This is because a considerable number of blacks offered their services on voluntary basis and hence did not have to be paid. The 369th infantry regiment is a good example of reputable all blacks units that made commendable achievements during the First World War. Though most blacks units were not engaged in direct confrontations they helped by coordinating the activities of the military. Furthermore, their incorporation increased the chances of success for the US military because they did not increase military spending in any way. In conclusion the US would not have emerged victorious in battles without the support of black Americans.There is many blacks who earned honorary awards due to their exemplary performance while in the military. It is therefore certain that the significance of blacks would not have been realized if the wars had not occurred.