Overview

The First Black Marines: An Oral History tells the extraordinary stories of the men who made history as the first African Americans to serve in the US Marine Corps. Based on extensive oral history interviews with a group of veterans conducted by the authors, this new title in OUP's Graphic History Series documents the experiences of these men as they underwent training at the segregated Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, North Carolina, during the 1940s and served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Narrated in the authentic voices of the Marines and featuring powerful imagery, this book provides a personal and moving account of the challenges they faced and overcame as pioneers in the US military during the Jim Crow era of widespread racial segregation and discrimination. The graphic history is accompanied by a highly accessible introduction to an inquiry-based approach to historical research and the methodology of oral history that empowers students to develop and conduct their own research projects in their communities. In addition, the book includes a brief overview of the historical context in which the Marines' stories unfold as well as a carefully chosen set of primary documents.

Full Product Details

Author:   Trevor R. Getz (Professor of African and World History, Professor of African and World History, San Francisco State University) ,  Robert Willis (Public Historian, Public Historian) ,  Joseph H. Geeter III (Master Gunnery Sergeant, Master Gunnery Sergeant) ,  Liz Clarke (Illustrator, Illustrator)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
ISBN:  

9780197650370

ISBN 10:   0197650376
Pages:   232
Publication Date:   24 November 2024
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   To order  

Table of Contents

List of Maps Preface About the Authors and the Illustrator Part I: The Graphic History 1: When I Grow Up 2: Where Hell Starts 3: Black Marines in Jim Crow America 4: Let the Mosquitoes Eat 5: All of Them Are Legendary 6: A 17-Year-Old Kid with a .45 Pistol 7: Aftermaths and Legacies Part II: Starting a Research Project Introduction Defining Questions Building a Critical Bibliography Part III: Historical Context Jim Crow America African Americans and the US Military During the Second World War Montford Point Camp and the First Black Marines Montford Pointers in the Pacific Theater of Operations The Tensions of Masculinity Looking Both Forward and Backward Part IV: Oral History: Applying a Research Methodology Oral History as Method Oral History and Memory Oral History as a Community Act Our Approaches and Experiences Part V: Interpretation What Is the Job of the Historian in Interpretation? Critical Analysis Narrative Structures and Shared Experiences Analytical Moments: Hearing Individual Messages Interpreting through Comics: Choices and Debates Part VI: Primary Sources Executive Order 8802 (1941) Letter of Instruction No. 421 (1943) The Pittsburgh Courier, ""The Courier's Double 'V' for a Double Victory Campaign Gets Country-wide Support"" (1942) H. R. 2447, An Act to Grant the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines (2011) Part VII: Questions to Consider Constructing a Usable Narrative Examining Multiple Interpretations Critically Investigating the Research Methodology Engaging with the Original Video Footage Reflecting Glossary

Reviews

Detailed, well-written, and highly accurate, The First Black Marines offers a model for how we should teach oral history in the twenty-first century. * Reginald K. Ellis, Florida A&M University * The First Black Marines tackles difficult yet inspiring history in an incredibly accessible way. Kudos to the authors for allowing us to hear this history from the brave men who lived it, while teaching us about historiography along the way. Sure to be enjoyed by students and casual readers alike! * Melissa Ziobro, Monmouth University * This graphic history walks students step-by-step through the field of history and what it means to be a historian. Stunning visuals recreate life at Montford Point for the first African American Marines since the American Revolution. The First Black Marines sheds light on their experiences as men, Marines, and African Americans fighting for the double victory in the Jim Crow South and in the Pacific theater of World War II. These men faced discrimination, hardship, and injustice with poise and honor, and their stories, interpreted through the eyes of historians Trevor Getz, Robert Willis, and Gunnery Sergeant Joseph H. Geeter III, provide insight into how the battle for civil rights was fought on a multitude of fronts while providing the reader with lessons that are still applicable to the struggles our country faces today. * Toni Nicholas, Red Rocks Community College *

Author Information

Trevor R. Getz is Professor of African and World History at San Francisco State University. His first graphic history, Abina and the Important Men, was the winner of the 2014 James Harvey Robinson Prize, and he is the recipient of the American Historical Association's 2020 Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award. Robert Willis is a public historian. A student of cinema and history, he is driven by a desire to construct effective ways to communicate to the masses and to enrich the lives of people who look like him. Master Gunnery Sergeant Joseph H. Geeter III, USMC retired, enrolled in the Marine Corps in 1976 and spent twenty-five years on active duty. He served as the 16th President of the National Montford Point Marine Association, Inc. Liz Clarke is a professional illustrator based in Cape Town, South Africa. She has contributed to a variety of graphic history publications, including several titles in the Graphic History Series published by Oxford University Press.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions