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36 World War I Homefront: A Short Photo Essay
- Wesleyan University Press
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256 During World War I, African Americans and whites were segregated in their activities both at war and on the home front. The first photograph , which was published in the Hartford Courant, shows African American draftees leaving for Maryland’s Camp Meade. African American soldiers traveled to boot camps in “colored only” trains, and while some saw combat, most worked behind the lines and at major Allied ports in menial jobs that were very similar to those they held before the war, serving as stevedores, messengers, and chauffeurs. About their sendoff, the Courant commented: “the contingent bid farewell to Hartford amid a demonstration of loyalty seldom shown by friends of anyone.” Women experienced similarly segregated activities in their support of the war effort. The second photo shows members of the Colored Liberty Loan Committee. Liberty Loan parades and promotions were an important way for the U.S. government to raise funds to pay for World War I. Hartford ’s African American community rendered valuable service toward winning the war. Note This essay appeared in the November/December/January 2004 issue of Connecticut Explored. Mark H. Jones 36 World War I Homefront A Short Photo Essay figure 36-1 The first contingent of African American draftees from the state poses on the corner of Trumbull and Pearl streets, The Hartford Courant, April 30, 1918. Photo: Edward M. Crocker. RG 012 Connecticut State Library, War Records Department, World War I Photographs from Hartford by the Hartford Courant, Box 270 figure 36-2 Mrs. James A. Morris, committee chair (left), and unidentified women of the Colored Liberty Loan Committee. The Hartford Courant, October 9, 1918. Photo: Edward M. Crocker. RG 012 Connecticut State Library, War Records Department, World War I Photographs from Hartford by the Hartford Courant, Box 270 ...