Today; the military is one the most racially diverse institutions in the United States. But for many decades African American soldiers battled racial discrimination and segregation within its ranks. In the years after World War II; the integration of the armed forces was a touchstone in the homefront struggle for equality—though its importance is often overlooked in contemporary histories of the civil rights movement. Drawing on a wide array of sources; from press reports and newspapers to organizational and presidential archives; historian Christine Knauer recounts the conflicts surrounding black military service and the fight for integration.Let Us Fight as Free Men shows that; even after their service to the nation in World War II; it took the persistent efforts of black soldiers; as well as civilian activists and government policy changes; to integrate the military. In response to unjust treatment during and immediately after the war; African Americans pushed for integration on the strength of their service despite the oppressive limitations they faced on the front and at home. Pressured by civil rights activists such as A. Philip Randolph; President Harry S. Truman passed an executive order that called for equal treatment in the military. Even so; integration took place haltingly and was realized only after the political and strategic realities of the Korean War forced the Army to allow black soldiers to fight alongside their white comrades. While the war pushed the civil rights struggle beyond national boundaries; it also revealed the persistence of racial discrimination and exposed the limits of interracial solidarity.Let Us Fight as Free Men reveals the heated debates about the meaning of military service; manhood; and civil rights strategies within the African American community and the United States as a whole.
#846731 in Books University of Pennsylvania Press 2010-06-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.04 x .70 x 5.98l; .84 #File Name: 0812220986272 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Young-AlfaroAn amazing update to the original book. Highly recommend for novice and seasoned researchers.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Book ReviewBy BenDouglas Foley's ethnographic portrayal of a South Texas border city; which he calls "North Town"; is a tale of two texts. The first text is a fully rich; detailed; and what my colleague appropriately refers to as a "cinematic" description of life of North Town high school students. The second text is a scholarly and theoretical response to Paul Willis' critiques outlined in the forward as well as a beautifully described section on methods.A major strength of this book is its readability. Foley's writing style in the first half of the book is extremely accessible and fantastically interesting. As I was reading the book; I felt as though I was reading a brilliantly written popular fiction. I could not put the book down and I found myself contently engrossed as time completely slipped away from me.Another strength inherent in Foley's work is the local historical background of North Town. Foley tells the history of North Town's culture; politics; and economic development. Although he is an outsider; his extensive historical knowledge and fourteen years in the community allow him to unveil a well informed account of life in North Town.Detailing his methodology and interpretations at the end of the book is another one of Foley's strengths. For any research to be credible; replication is vital. By including a thorough and robust description of his methods; one may be able to replicate this study in a different cultural context. This lends credibility to the study and enhances the likelihood of another researcher bringing us another enchanting analysis to enjoy.A double-edged strength and weakness of the work is his outsider status. As an outsider; Foley is able to notice and record the minutiae of daily life that most citizens of North Town take for granted. These practices are deeply engrained in the local culture to the point where they proceed relatively unnoticed.Foley illustrates an example of a new Anglo male student from Nebraska. The new student is unaware of the entrenched class and ethnic territorial boundaries of the school grounds. Upon arrival; the new student gravitates toward the "cool" Mexicano students Foley refers to as "vatos." According to Foley; this new student does not associate the vatos with lower class and ethnic status. This seemingly minor infraction is remedied:After three days; a new Anglo football buddy physically led him out of the Mexicano group into the Anglo group. He never hung out again with the vatos; although he frequently greeted them in the halls and in classes. He quickly learned that hanging out with the wrong people would leave him in a social "no-man's land" (p. 80).Foley's outsider status may also be viewed as a weakness. He is not a true member of the community with vested interest or familial roots. As such; he writes about North Town as if it is a truly foreign land. If his audience is someone who grew up in a United States-Mexico border town in the Southwest; they may not be able to understand his outsider perspective and might possibly be offended at the categorization of these "foreign" students with words like "Mexicano;" "vato;" or "kicker."I consider myself an outsider and can understand his perspective. Like Foley; I am an Anglo from the Midwest who played sports in high school. This shared lens made it very easy for me to read this work and understand his descriptions. In his methods section; he reveals that he used his sports experience in high school and college as an inroad to finding valuable informants. While this may have limited the scope of informants; it certainly allowed him to build trust and gain a wealth of information.This book would be extremely valuable to anyone who has an interest in education; classroom culture; sociology; social theory; ethnographic research; local history; local level politics; economic development issues; as well as issues involving; race; class; poverty; language; and ethnicity. For those who enjoy reading about the details of the daily lives of high school students; this book is excellent. For those who drool over academic and intellectual arguments over social theory; this book definitely belongs on your book shelf. Also; for those who are seasoned or aspiring researchers; this book provides poignant insight into teachable methods and practices.16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Terrific ethnographic work on a much ignored regionBy A CustomerDo not let the stale title fool you here. Foley employs some wonderful ethnographic; qualitative research methods in this piece of work. Foley disobeys the old; archaic rules of the social sciences; in that he leaves his objectivitiy behind and immerses himself into the city of North Town (a mythical name). Texas is much more than Dallas; Houston; and San Antonio. The author shows us another side of the state. Foley focuses on the South Texas region and its much too often ignored Mexican American population. Many people do not realize the old; colonized treatment that Mexican Americans are still subjugated to and Foley makes a point of writing about this in his text. In addition to being an ethnographic account of the socially inequities that exist between the dominant Anglo population and the subordinate Mexican American population in North Town; this book is also an analysis and critique of an educational system. Foley demonstrates how the educational system in North Town perpetuates inequality and tracks its young people to take their assigned role in society according to their socioeconomic status and their ethnic background. Learning Capitalist Culture is a book for those not only interested in the social sciences; but those of us interested in research techniques and methodological approaches that are new; exciting; and part of a new kind of social science model.
