ENGL 250: GREAT AMERICAN BOOKS
"Arms and the Man"
Contact Information
Home to Harlem
(1928)
by
Claude McKay
(1889-1948)
Fact about McKay:
He was born in the West Indies and moved to the US in 1912. Before he moved to the US, he was a policeman in Kingston, Jamaica. Since he was not an American citizen during First World War, he didn't serve as a soldier.
Fact about African Americans in World War I:
The all black 369th Infantry went to France in 1918. These black soldiers fought in combat with French soldiers. Over 367,000 of them represented the United States in World War I. Only 10% of this number was assigned to combat during the war. The French were so indebted to these troops, they awarded the CROIX DE GUERRE for "gallantry in action" to 171 men from these all black units.
A picture of 9 of these black soldiers with their 'Croix de Guerre'
