Even though more than one million African American men and women served in the military during World War II, they still faced immense discrimination and were not appreciated for their sacrifice. The African Americans in the military encounter racism and were often treated like enemy combatants. The military segregated and denied them the privileges that were available to their white counterparts. In fact, African Americans received worse treatment than white men taken as prisoners who had more entitlements. Most were given menial duties and did not receive credit for their contributions in the war.
For example, Dorie Miller was a cook who courageously fired a machine gun during an attack and saved many lives. However, he was neither mentioned nor rewarded for his bravery until NAACP intervened and fought for his recognition. Hence, the discrimination that African Americans experienced in the military during World War II made them concerned about the rights of black people. They became actively involved in pursuing equality and were critical to the beginning of the civil rights movement.
Most of the activists involved in the civil rights movement were veterans such as Medgar Evers and Oliver Brown. The war had exposed them to individuals from different walks of life, where the exposure was critical to their development of ideas relating to equality. For instance, African Americans lived in various countries for the first time in their lives. They went to placed that had no segregation and started looking at the American system as inherently flawed. It was then that most veterans began speaking about equal rights, thus impacting others and enabling the founding of the civil rights movement.
When the veterans returned home, they hoped that their sacrifice would lead to equal citizenship. However, they were met with intense criticism and rules to keep them in line. For example, white supremacists banned African Americans from dressing in their military clothes because this was seen as shameful to the military. White men also created groups that would protect their women from the threat of veterans. Those who did not follow the rules were randomly killed, which escalated the urgent need for social activism. Since the war had exposed African Americans to violence, they were not afraid of death and were increasingly determined to end acts of racism such as segregation. World War II taught Africans that the fight was still needed for their rights, thus launching acts o rebellion and the civil rights movement.