Returning Soldier, WEB Du Bois, 1919

Date Uploaded: 06/14/2024

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"Returning Soldier," by W.E.B Du Bois, from The Crisis 18 (May 1919)

After World War I ended, thousands of U.S. soldiers returned to everyday life. Among them were more than 350,000 African Americans who served their country and fought for democracy during the war. Having defended their country, they unfortunately returned home to increased racial tensions across the country, continued racial discrimination, and, at times, racial violence. As white supremacy continued and racial tension increased, African Americans discovered that they were still fighting a war at home for equality and democracy. And in particular, African American World War I veterans faced discrimination and racial violence as well.

In May of 1919, WEB Du Bois published an editorial in The Crisis addressed to returning African American soldiers and veterans. In it, he described the racial injustices occurring across the United States. The article concluded by encouraging returning soldiers to continue to fight for freedom -- this time for themselves and the African American community. This image shows the opening paragraph of his editorial. Read the entire piece here.

The Crisis is the official newspaper of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The magazine started in 1910 and is the oldest African American magazine in the world. After World War I African Americans faced increased racial tensions across the U.S.

Excerpt from Du Bois's "Returning Solder":

“We return.

We return from fighting.

We return fighting.

Make way for Democracy! We saved it in France, and by the Great Jehovah, we will save it in the United State of America or know the reason why.”

Public Domain

Du Bois, W.E.B. "Returning Soldiers," The Crisis, 18 (May 1919): p. 13. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/inu.30000052846791

Public Domain

Public Domain is a copyright term that is often used when talking about copyright for creative works. Under U.S. copyright law, individual items that are in the public domain are items that are no longer protected by copyright law. This means that you do not need to request permission to re-use, re-publish or even change a copy of the item. Items enter the public domain under U.S. copyright law for a number of reasons: the original copyright may have expired; the item was created by the U.S. Federal Government or other governmental entity that views the things it creates as in the public domain; the work was never protected by copyright for some other reason related to how it was produced (for example, it was a speech that wasn't written down or recorded); or the work doesn't have enough originality to make it eligible for copyright protection.

Citation

Du Bois, W.E.B. "Returning Soldiers," The Crisis, 18 (May 1919): p. 13. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/inu.30000052846791