Primary Source

Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, U.S. Third Army Commander, Pins the Silver Star on Private Ernest A. Jenkins

U.S. Government via National Archives at College Park

A uniformed white officer pins a medal on the uniform of a young Black soldier. — Lt. Gen. Patton pins a silver start award on Private Ernest A. Jenkins, 1944.

Source: U.S. Government, National Archives at College Park.

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Lesson Plan

Racism Abroad and at Home: African American Soldiers During WWII

Explore how the experiences of African American soldiers during and after World War II impacted the development of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.