Black Americans Buy $250 Million in Liberty Bonds While Being Denied Rights That War Claimed to Defend

Despite systematic exclusion from American democracy, Black Americans purchased an estimated $250 million in Liberty Bonds during WWI. Black newspapers used this as a rhetorical argument for civil rights, explicitly articulating the 'Double V' concept of victory abroad and victory at home. The government accepted this financial support while refusing any civil rights concessions, a pattern of extracting Black contributions while denying Black citizenship.