The Double ‘M’: Mutiny and Militancy among African American soldiers during World War Two

During World War Two a pattern of violent resistance to segregation and racism emerged among African American soldiers. In, or near, army bases in the United States and abroad African American soldiers registered their displeasure at the persistence of Jim Crow and the particularly galling treatment they received despite being in uniform. This resistance to, or reaction against, segregation was often violent. In camps in the United States, England, Northern Ireland and elsewhere where black troops were stationed a similar pattern was evident. Disgruntled at some real or perceived slight will on leave in local towns, African American troops returned to their bases, armed themselves, and then sought retribution. Sometimes these local incidents reflected national events, for example, the Detroit riots of 1943, but what they demonstrate is that African American troops were militant and prepared to face the consequences of their actions, actions which during the Great War had led to the execution of 13 of their number after serious trouble in Houston. Drawing upon research from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the National Archives at Kew, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and the black press, this paper will analyse black resistance and militancy in the US military during World War Two.