African Americans Played a Key Role in Vietnam War Essay

Thesis: African Americans played a key role in Vietnam War and, in the process, changed the complexion of the U.S. Armed Forces I. African Americans involves in the army a. Irregular percentage of African Americans drafted in the military b. The role of blacks in the Army c. The Vietnam War as a genocide II. Discrimination Issues a. Armed Forces dominated by whites b. Personal racism c. Racist practices against blacks d. African Americans in combat III. Black Women in the Armed Forces a. Segregation in working areas b. Black women and their assignments IV. The Black Power a. Response to racism b. The new black culture c. Black’s own terminology V. Consequences of Black response a. Banned†¦show more content†¦During American involvement in the war, African Americans were listed and reenlisted on the military draft at higher rates than any other nationalities including whites and Latin-Americans (Westheider 9). As a result, more African Americans than any othe r minority fought and died in combat. In addition, they constantly faced racism. One militant protested forcefully against the unfair conditions: â€Å"You should see for yourself how the black man is being treated over here and the ay we are dying. When it comes to rank, we are left out. When it comes to special privileges, we are left out. When it comes to patrols, perataions and so forth, we are first† (Gallagher). According to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., black youths represented an unequal share of early draftees and faced a significantly higher chance of seeing combat. â€Å"Rumors abounded that the U.S. government were using the Vietnam War as a form of genocide. Money was being pumped into Vietnam instead of poor black communities in America† (Gallegher). Blacks had to deal with many discrimination issues throughout their experiences in Vietnam. â€Å"The armed forces were dominated and controlled by whites, and more often than not the cultural needs of African American were ignored† (Young 339). Dr. King described the Vietnam War as racist stating: â€Å" a white man’s war, a black man’s fight†. However, personal racism was the most noticeable, as stated by James E. Westheider.Show MoreRelatedEssay on The Civil Rights Movement1708 Words   |  7 Pagesof grassroots activists and national leaders to obtain for African Americans the basic rights guaranteed to American citizens in the Constitution. The key players in succeeding with the civil rights movement were the soldiers returning from the war, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the anti-Vietnam War activists . During the civil rights movement, nearly every African American had experienced segregation at lunch stands. 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