The 1944 GI Bill and Those It Left Behind

Abstract

Most students of U.S. history in the 20th century are likely familiar with the institution of Jim Crow that operated in both the Northern and Southern states. Some may not have considered how this institution dictated the treatment and rights of African Americans who served in the military in World War II. This dissertation examines not only how racism operated in the U.S. military during that period, but also how these second-class citizens, who were lobbying for treatment as equal citizens upon their return from the war, and how the promise of education and government-backed loans through the GI Bill proved to be out of reach for many of these African American veterans. The crisis these African American veterans faced during and after the war would later influence many to become leaders of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The U.S. citizenry often frames the memory of World War II as something fought by the greatest generation and an event that brought people together across racial lines when they were in uniform. My work challenges such assertions and encourages a more critical lens of remembrance of this time. This dissertation gives a background of race and racism in the United States when the nation entered World War II and the challenges presented prominently in the South when these veterans attempted to utilize the GI Bill.