Torchbearers of Democracy

“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