“If We Must Die”
War and Military Service in African American History
AAAS 160B
Fall 2015
MW 5:00pm-6:20pm
Olin-Sang 124
Professor Chad Williams
e-mail: chadw@brandeis.edu
781-736-3250
Mandel 219
Office Hours: Tuesday, 10:00-12:00; by appointment
“His problem as a soldier was always peculiar: no matter for what America fought and no
matter for what her enemies fought, the American Negro always fought for his own freedom and
for the self-respect of his race.” W. E. B. Du Bois, The Gift of Black Folk (1924)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course traces African American participation in the nation's military from the American
Revolution to Afghanistan. We will examine the relationship between African Americans and
warfare, paying particular attention to the relationship between race and military service.
Throughout the semester we will re-conceptualize the meaning of African American military
history by addressing themes such as slavery and freedom, the meaning of citizenship,
nationalism and imperialism, war and civil rights activism, manhood and respectability, and
violence and trauma.
LEARNING GOALS
Students enrolled in this course will:
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Gain a broad introduction to the ways in which war has shaped American history.
Specifically interrogate how war and military service has informed the lives of African
Americans and their various historical experiences in the United States.
Be introduced to key recent scholarship on African Americans in the military.
Develop their writing skills through a combination of assignments focused on reading
analysis, historical argumentation, and primary source research.
WEEKLY COMMITMENT
This is a Four-Credit Course (with three hours of class-time per week). Success in this 4 credit
hour course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study
time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for
exams, etc.).
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PAPERS
Glory Analysis Paper: The feature film Glory about the Massachusetts 54th Infantry Regiment
remains one of the most well-known films on the black military experience in the Civil War.
While critically acclaimed, the film’s utility as a work of history remains questionable. For this
paper, you must analyze Glory. Issues you may explore include the symbolism of the
Massachusetts 54th, historical inaccuracies, specific characters and their meaning, centering of
Robert Gould Shaw, the film in relation to historiography on the Civil War. Length: 5 pp.
Research Paper: This paper is a combination of historical research and creative writing.
Focusing on a specific war or military conflict, imagine you are an African American soldier.
Using both primary and secondary source materials, construct a narrative of your experience.
Make sure that your narrative is firmly rooted in historical fact. Your grade will be based on the
strength of your research and grasp of your character’s historical context. You must make use of
at least three primary sources and at least five secondary sources, with proper footnotes. While I
encourage creativity with your writing, avoid unnecessary jargon and dialect that takes away
from your research. (Length: 10-12 pp.
Basic guidelines
All papers should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and in 12 point font size. You must
include page numbers. Endnotes or footnotes must be properly formatted and adhere to Chicago
Style guidelines.
EXAMS
Midterm Exam
The midterm exam will consist of a series of identification questions and a short answer essay.
The exam will be held in class on October 12.
Final Exam
The take-home final exam will require you to write two short essays. The exam will be
distributed on December 9 and is due on December 16 by 12:00 pm. Late exams will not be
accepted.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Engaged participation is essential for success in the course. You are expected to complete all
reading assignments and contribute to classroom discussions. If you are hesitant to make a
comment for whatever reason, make sure to come prepared to ask questions, which you should
formulate in advance of class. I also encourage you to utilize our LATTE discussion board for
assistance in stimulating questions and/or issues you may want to raise in class.
GRADING
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Glory Analysis Paper:
Research Paper:
Midterm Exam:
Final Exam:
Class Participation:
15%
25%
20%
25%
5%
ATTENDANCE
Attendance is absolutely mandatory. The presence of every student is valued and unexcused
absences risk disrupting the cohesion of the class. Repeated absences are disrespectful to me, as
your professor, as well as your fellow classmates. If you plan to miss a class, you must have a
valid excuse (ie. sickness or injury, family emergency) and inform me ahead of time. More than
two unexcused absences will result in a one-third reduction of your final grade.
CLASSROOM CONDUCT
Your classroom conduct will be a factor in your participation grade. You are expected to arrive
to class on time, be attentive (no falling asleep), focused (no cellphones), and maintain the
highest standards of collegiality with your classmates. Please use the restroom BEFORE you
come to class. Acts of disrespect will not be tolerated. Repeated disruptive behavior may result
in your failure of the course.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
You are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity as stated in Section 4 of
the Rights and Responsibilities handbook. http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/srcs/rr/
Plagarism and evidence of cheating on exams will not be tolerated and will result in an automatic
failing grade. You may refer to the International Center for Academic Integrity for additional
information: http://www.academicintegrity.org/icai/home.php
DISABILITY POLICY
If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented
disability, please contact me and present your letter of accommodation as soon as possible.
If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations,
you should contact Beth Rodgers-Kay in Academic Services (x6-3470 or
brodgers@brandeis.edu.)
Letters of accommodation should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of
accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
COURSE READINGS
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You are expected to complete all readings and assignments on time as indicated on the course
schedule. Bring all assigned readings with you to class and have them out of your bag before
class begins.
Books
All required books are available for purchase at the Brandeis University Bookstore
Karin Stanford, ed., If We Must Die: African American Voices on War and Peace. Rowman &
Littlefield, 2008.
Douglas Egerton, Death or Liberty: African Americans and Revolutionary America. Oxford
University Press, 2011.
Ira Berlin, et. al, Freedom’s Soldiers: The Black Military Experience. Cambridge University
Press, 1992.
Chad Williams, Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era.
University of North Carolina Press, 2010.
Mark Huggle, ed., Roi Ottley’s World War II: The Lost Diary of an African American Journalist.
University Press of Kansas, 2011.
Kimberly L. Phillips, War! What Is It Good For?: Black Freedom Struggles and the U.S.
Military from World War II to Iraq. University of North Carolina Press, 2012.
Articles and Essays
All assigned articles and essays will be made available on LATTE or distributed in class
KEY SCHEDULE DATES
September 7:
September 10:
September 14:
September 23:
September 29:
October 5:
November 25:
No Class—Labor Day
Brandeis Monday)
No Class—Rosh Hashanah
No Class—Yom Kippur
Brandeis Monday
No Class—Shimini Atzeret
No Class—Thanksgiving Holiday
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COURSE SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
August 31:
Readings:
Towards a New Theory of African American Military History
If We Must Die, Introduction
September 2: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Colonial Violence and the Creation of Race
Readings:
Death or Liberty, Prologue-Ch. 2; Rediker, The Slave Ship, ch. 1 and 9; Thornton,
"The African Experience of the '20. and Odd Negroes' Arriving in Virginia in
1619"
WEEK 2
September 7: No Class—Labor Day
September 9: On the Side of Freedom: Black Patriots
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 1; Death or Liberty, ch. 3; Gilbert, Black Patriots and
Loyalists, ch, 4
September 10: On the Side of Freedom: Black Loyalists
Readings:
Gilbert, Black Patriots and Loyalists, ch. 5-6
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WEEK 3
September 14: No Class—Rosh Hashanah
September 16: Slavery, the New Nation, and the War of 1812
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 2; Death or Liberty, ch. 4-9
WEEK 4
September 21: Slave Resistance
Readings:
Death or Liberty, ch. 10 and epilogue
September 23: No Class—Yom Kippur
WEEK 5
September 28: No Class—Sukkot
September 29: The Seeds of War
Readings:
May, “Invisible Men"
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September 30: A War for Freedom
Readings:
Freedom’s Soldiers
WEEK 6
October 5:
No Class—Shimini Atzeret
October 7:
Readings:
Meanings of Black Military Service
If We Must Die, ch. 3; Freedom’s Soldiers; Levin, Remembering the Battle of the
Crater, ch. 1
Glory Analysis Paper Due
WEEK 7
October 12: MIDTERM
October 14:
Readings:
Reconstruction
Hardwick, “‘Your Old Father Abe Lincoln Is Dead and Damned’”
WEEK 8
October 19:
Readings:
African American Soldiers in the West
Dobak, "Fort Riley's Black Soldiers and the Army's Changing Role in the West"
October 21:
Readings:
Spanish-Cuban-American War, Philippine War, and Mexico
If We Must Die, ch. 4
Horne, Black and Brown, ch. 5 and 7
WEEK 9
October 26:
Readings:
Soldiers of Democracy
Williams, Torchbearers of Democracy, ch. 1-4; If We Must Die, ch. 5 (pp. 103126)
October 28:
Readings:
The New Negro at War
Williams, Torchbearers of Democracy, ch. 5-8
WEEK 10
November 2: Double “V”
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 6; War, What is it Good For, ch. 1; Roi Ottley’s World War II
November 4: Fighting Abroad and at Home
Readings:
Roi Ottley’s World War II
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WEEK 11
November 9: Desegregation and the New Military
Readings:
War, What is it Good For, ch. 2
November 11: The Korean War
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 7; War, What is it Good For, ch. 3-4
WEEK 12
November 16: African Americans and Vietnam
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 8; War, What is it Good For, ch. 5
November 18: Vietnam and Black Power
Readings:
War, What is it Good For, ch. 6
WEEK 13
November 23: African Americans and the All-Volunteer Force
Readings:
Nalty, “Volunteers, Racial Representation and the Tipping Point”
November 25: No Class—Thanksgiving Holiday
WEEK 14
November 30: The Powell Phenomenon
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 9
Powell, My American Journey, ch.
December 2: Race and Gender in the Modern American Military
Readings:
Armor, “Race and Gender in the U.S. Military”
Moore, “African-American Women in the U.S. Military”
Research Paper Due
WEEK 15
December 7: African American Military Service in the Age of Terror
Readings:
If We Must Die, ch. 10; War, What is it Good For, epilogue
Armor and Gilroy, “Changing Minority Representation in the U.S. Military”
December 9: The Meaning of Loyalty in the Age of #BlackLivesMatter
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