For the 380,000 African American soldiers who fought in World War I, Woodrow Wilson’s charge to make the world “safe for democracy” carried life-or-death meaning. Chad L. Williams reveals the central role of African American soldiers in the global conflict and how they, along with race activists and ordinary citizens, committed to fighting for democracy at home and beyond. Using a diverse range of sources, Torchbearers of Democracy reclaims the legacy of African American soldiers and veterans and connects their history to issues such as the obligations of citizenship, combat and labor, diaspora and internationalism, homecoming and racial violence, “New Negro” militancy, and African American memories of the war. “This well-written, accessible book illustrates the impact of the war in the context of the wider freedom struggle. . . . A fine addition to the growing literature on the relationship between war and democracy.” — Journal of American History “A masterpiece of interpretative social history . . . . Essential.”— Journal of Southern History “The balance between the stories of black culturalists and those of black objects of terror, along with an astonishing breadth of scholarship and a graceful style. . . makes Torchbearers of Democracy the best account yet of a complex and decisive moment in African American social, civic, and cultural history.”— African American Review “ Torchbearers of Democracy provides more than a new account of a pivotal chapter in the history of African Americans in the military, it reintroduces us to those who fought for democracy.”— Journal of African American History “William’s account of the experiences of African American servicemen in World War I and the transformative impact on them is a model study and one well worth reading.”— Journal of American Ethnic History “Williams places the experiences of African American soldiers during the World War I era front and center. In doing so, he illuminates the powerful, and often shifting, connections between citizenship and military service in a democracy.”— U.S. Military History Review “A nuanced, scintillating, and highly original work.”— Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians “Williams writes with grace, occasional flair, and a solidly readable style. The book sustains the reader’s interest, even in the sections where the material is extremely familiar.”— Canadian Journal of History “ Torchbearers of Democracy is not a story with heroes and villains, only victims. And Williams tells the story with the exquisite skill of a scholarly storyteller.”— Virginia Libraries “Indispensable. . . . Bits and pieces of this story may be found in a variety of other histories, but none to date have put the entire story together with the comprehensiveness, care, research, and insight of this hefty work. Highly recommended.”— CHOICE In this important, sophisticated, and original study, Chad Williams establishes the centrality of black soldiers and veterans to the struggles against racial inequality during World War I as no other book does. Torchbearers of Democracy sensitively examines the fraught connections between citizenship, obligation, and race while highlighting the diversity of black soldiers' experiences in fighting on behalf of a democracy that denied them rights and dignity. This is a major contribution to political, military, and civil rights history." —Eric Arnesen, George Washington University Race, nation, manhood, and citizenship in the 1920s Williams reveals the central role of African American soldiers in World War I and how they, along with race activists and ordinary citizens alike, committed to fighting for democracy at home and beyond. Using a diverse range of sources, Williams connects the history of African American soldiers and veterans to issues such as the obligations of citizenship, combat and labor, diaspora and internationalism, homecoming and racial violence, "New Negro" militancy, and African American historical memories of the war. Williams reveals the central role of African American soldiers in World War I and how they, along with race activists and ordinary citizens alike, committed to fighting for democracy at home and beyond. Using a diverse range of sources, Williams connects the history of African American soldiers and veterans to issues such as the obligations of citizenship, combat and labor, diaspora and internationalism, homecoming and racial violence, "New Negro" militancy, and African American historical memories of the war. Chad L. Williams is associate professor of African and Afro-American studies at Brandeis University.