Women of Color In The Military

How do you start a Women of Color in the Military research paper? Our expert writers suggest like this:

The United States military is perceived as a model for equal opportunity. No affirmative action has been required in half a century to ensure equal rights of employment, training, salaries or advancement.It would appear as one of the few employment arenas where performance is valued above all else. In many ways, the military has lived up to this perception for black women. It does offer opportunities not available otherwise to many black women. However, bias in promotions continues and reveals that even the military is not free from the influence of race and gender. This paper will explore the role of women of color in the United States military.

1. First, the historical role of these women will be discussed.
2. Next, the advantages of military employment over other choices should be specified.
3. Last, the research paper should explain studies revealing continued bias in the military.

Women of Color in the Civil War

Although the role of black women in the military appears stronger than ever before, these women have played important roles in military actions throughout history. History books do not give credit to these women, but many served in the Civil War. For instance, Mary Louvestre, a slave of an engineer, is known for stealing a portion of the Rebel plans and delivering them to the Union Navy. Two other women, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, both worked as nurses in Northern hospitals. Tubman served as a scout subsequent to her work as the conductor of the Underground Railroad. She is known to have provided vital information on Confederate positions in June 1863.

In the Spanish-American War the Daughters of the American Revolution offered to recruit volunteer nurses for the Army, but completely overlooked black women. Based on rumors, the government announced erroneously that black people had a natural immunity to tropical diseases, and the DAR began recruiting black female nurses. As a result, 32 black nurses assisted with the war.

Black Nurses

Black nurses were not successful in assisting with World War I, as the Red Cross discarded their applications even though there was a severe nurse shortage. Finally, when the end of the war was followed by a deadly strain of influenza, the Red Cross had no choice but to accept black nurses. At that time, 18 black nurses served in an experimental program where they were fully segregated except when on duty. Black women assisted as nurses on a limited basis through World War II.