During World War II, African Americans found themselves with conflicting feelings about supporting the war effort, since their own country did not offer them the freedom America was fighting for overseas. The Double Victory — Double V— campaign, begun by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1942, helped to address this issue. It encouraged African Americans to participate at every level in winning the war abroad, while also fighting for their civil rights at home.

You had a white water fountain, and a black water fountain. And a black would get into trouble if he went and drank at the white water fountain. My friend at Brookley Field had his head busted wide open because he drank at the white fountain.

— John Gray, The War

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Identify the historical context of the scope of America’s unequal treatment of African Americans.
• View video segments from the Ken Burns film, take notes, and answer questions.
• Evaluate whether participation in the war effort helped or hindered African Americans’ quest for civil rights.

About the Author:

Joan Brodsky Schur is the Social Studies Coordinator at the Village Community School where she has taught English and American history for over twenty-five years. Her most recent publication is Eyewitness to the Past: Strategies for Teaching American History in Grades 5-12.