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The African American Experience during World War II

Neil A Wynn author Jacqueline M Moore editor Nina Mjagkij editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Rowman & Littlefield

Published:16th Jun '10

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The African American Experience during World War II cover

Drawing on more than thirty years of teaching and research, Neil A. Wynn combines narrative history and primary sources as he locates the World War II years within the long-term struggle for African Americans' equal rights. It is now widely accepted that these years were crucial in the development of the emerging Civil Rights movement through the economic and social impact of the war, as well as the military service itself. Wynn examines the period within the broader context of the New Deal era of the 1930s and the Cold War of the 1950s, concluding that the war years were neither simply a continuation of earlier developments nor a prelude to later change. Rather, this period was characterized by an intense transformation of black hopes and expectations, encouraged by real socio-economic shifts and departures in federal policy. Black self consciousness at a national level found powerful expression in new movements, from the demand for equality in the military service to changes in the shop floor to the "Double V" campaign that linked the fight for democracy at home for the fight for democracy abroad. As the nation played a new world role in the developing Cold War, the tensions between America's stated beliefs and actual practices emphasized these issues and brought new forces into play. More than a half century later, this book presents a much-needed up-to-date, short and readable interpretation of existing scholarship. Accessible to general and student readers, it tells the story without jargon or theory while including the historiography and debate on particular issues.

Wynn's evenhanded analysis of the paradoxical nature of African-Americans' wartime experience yields a balance between the hard-won successes . . . and the inevitable setbacks. . . . A diverse selection of [documents] enhances the survey's value for general readers. * Publishers Weekly *
Neil Wynn has produced marvelous, concise—yet comprehensive—historical synthesis. The book is perceptive, nuanced, highly engaging, and richly detailed. It's a spectacular addition to the series and perfect for college classrooms. -- Andrew E. Kersten, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
[The author's] info-packed narrative of the black experience in WWII would acquaint [readers] with the shape of the subject. . . . Wynn provides essential context for well-known topics such as the Tuskegee Airmen. * Booklist *
Neil Wynn has written an outstanding account of the African American experience during World War II. Building on his own incisive earlier work and drawing on all the scholarship of the past several decades, he has given us a lively overview that is crisp and comprehensive at the same time. -- Allan M. Winkler, distinguished professor of history, Miami University of Ohio
In addition to a thorough and concise synthetic narrative, this book contains a chronology of significant events in African American history from 1938 until 1948, forty pages of documents, and a seven-page annotated bibliography. * The Kentucky Historical Society *
The primary sources are very well chosen and the concise text is very well done! -- Theresa M. Davis, University of Mount Union

ISBN: 9781442200166

Dimensions: 239mm x 161mm x 16mm

Weight: 431g

200 pages