US Army Segregates Black Troops in WWI, Assigns Many to Labor Rather Than Combat

When the United States entered WWI, the Army conscripted over 370,000 Black men but organized them into segregated units under white officers, denied many service in combat roles, and assigned the majority to labor battalions digging trenches, loading supplies, and burying the dead. The Army distributed a document to French officers explaining American racial hierarchy and asking them not to treat Black soldiers as equals. Despite these restrictions, the 369th Infantry Regiment (the 'Harlem Hellfighters') fought under French command and earned the Croix de Guerre for 191 consecutive days in combat.