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How did World War II impact the freedom struggles of Black people in Africa and the United States?

• World War II created new conditions for freedom's struggle. Nazi Germany's defeat discredited racism, and the concept of empire came under increasingly unfavorable light. Returning African veterans further fueled anticolonial protests, adding to the costs of maintaining colonies. For African Americans, the global struggle against fascism energized demands for voting rights in the South. They were also inspired by national independence struggles in Africa and Asia. African Americans in civilian life and the armed forces championed the Double V campaign, which insisted that victory at home against Jim Crow segregation was essential for victory in the global war against fascism. World War II also led to the weakening of colonial powers. Africans returned home emboldened and more common Africans participated in internal developments.  

What new freedoms did African Americans servicemen gain during WWII?

During World War II, African Americans faced segregation, discrimination, and limited combat. However, they experienced greater freedoms in the Navy, Marines, and U.S. Air Corps. They returned from the war emboldened and committed to Civil Right

How did settler and non-settler African countries experience decolonization differently? Please use at least two examples.

• t non-settler colonies gained independence sooner and with less violence than settler colonies. North African colonies also gained independence sooner than Sub-Saharan African colonies. Examples include:  

  • Libya gained independence in 1951, Egypt in 1952, Sudan and Tunisia in 1956, and Algeria in 1962. These are North African examples, and some experienced generally peaceful transitions to independence.  

  • Sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana gained independence in 1957, Guinea in 1958, and several others in 1960. Kenya, a settler colony, experienced a more turbulent transition from 1952 to 1963, involving the bloody struggle of the Land and Freedom Army (Mau Mau) against the British.  

What did W.E.B. Du Bois advocate for in his “Close Ranks” editorial?

• In his "Close Ranks" editorial in 1918, W.E.B. Du Bois stated that Black people had a strong interest in the outcome of World War I, as German power represented a threat to the aspirations of Black and darker races for equality, freedom, and democracy. He advocated that while the war lasted, they should forget their special grievances and "close our ranks shoulder to shoulder with our own white fellow citizens and the allied nations that are fighting for democracy," making a sacrifice gladly and willingly.  

What is the difference between civil rights and human rights? Please give two examples to support your point.

• The documents suggest that U.S. conceptions of civil rights reforms were understood in terms of color blindness or formal civil and political equality. In contrast, an evolving postwar international discourse of human rights potentially embraced broader social needs such as income, housing, and health care.  

  • Example 1: The goals of the mainstream Civil Rights Movement, influenced by the Cold War, maintained an exclusive focus on obtaining federal legislation to ban racial discrimination in civic and political life, aiming for formal civic and political equality.  

  • Example 2: Malcolm X, after leaving the Nation of Islam, attempted to substitute an internationalist rhetoric of human rights for that of civil rights, with a broader conception of social rights contained within human rights discourse partially informing his attempt. His later analyses focused on institutionalized racism at home and abroad, and posited a universal moral standard of justice and human rights.  

According to Gomez, people in the Dominican Republic sought White identities to not be associated with what country?

1. people in the Dominican Republic sought White identities to not be associated with Haiti. The fear of being mislabeled a Haitian led many to undervalue their African heritage.