Freedom Flyers:The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II

The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, African-American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Freedom Flyers:The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II by J. Todd Moye, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: J. Todd Moye ISBN: 9780199752744
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: April 14, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press, USA Language: English
Author: J. Todd Moye
ISBN: 9780199752744
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: April 14, 2010
Imprint: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English

As the country's first African American military pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen fought in World War II on two fronts: against the Axis powers in the skies over Europe and against Jim Crow racism and segregation at home. Although the pilots flew more than 15,000 sorties and destroyed more than 200 German aircraft, their most far-reaching achievement defies quantification: delivering a powerful blow to racial inequality and discrimination in American life.In this inspiring account of the Tuskegee Airmen, historian J. Todd Moye captures the challenges and triumphs of these brave pilots in their own words, drawing on more than 800 interviews recorded for the National Park Service's Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project. Denied the right to fully participate in the U.S. war effort alongside whites at the beginning of World War II, African Americans--spurred on by black newspapers and civil rights organizations such as the NAACP--compelled the prestigious Army Air Corps to open its training programs to black pilots, despite the objections of its top generals. Thousands of young men came from every part of the country to Tuskegee, Alabama, in the heart of the segregated South, to enter the program, which expanded in 1943 to train multi-engine bomber pilots in addition to fighter pilots. By the end of the war, Tuskegee Airfield had become a small city populated by black mechanics, parachute packers, doctors, and nurses. Together, they helped prove that racial segregation of the fighting forces was so inefficient as to be counterproductive to the nation's defense.Freedom Flyers brings to life the legacy of a determined, visionary cadre of African American airmen who proved their capabilities and patriotism beyond question, transformed the armed forces--formerly the nation's most racially polarized institution--and jump-started the modern struggle for racial equality.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As the country's first African American military pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen fought in World War II on two fronts: against the Axis powers in the skies over Europe and against Jim Crow racism and segregation at home. Although the pilots flew more than 15,000 sorties and destroyed more than 200 German aircraft, their most far-reaching achievement defies quantification: delivering a powerful blow to racial inequality and discrimination in American life.In this inspiring account of the Tuskegee Airmen, historian J. Todd Moye captures the challenges and triumphs of these brave pilots in their own words, drawing on more than 800 interviews recorded for the National Park Service's Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project. Denied the right to fully participate in the U.S. war effort alongside whites at the beginning of World War II, African Americans--spurred on by black newspapers and civil rights organizations such as the NAACP--compelled the prestigious Army Air Corps to open its training programs to black pilots, despite the objections of its top generals. Thousands of young men came from every part of the country to Tuskegee, Alabama, in the heart of the segregated South, to enter the program, which expanded in 1943 to train multi-engine bomber pilots in addition to fighter pilots. By the end of the war, Tuskegee Airfield had become a small city populated by black mechanics, parachute packers, doctors, and nurses. Together, they helped prove that racial segregation of the fighting forces was so inefficient as to be counterproductive to the nation's defense.Freedom Flyers brings to life the legacy of a determined, visionary cadre of African American airmen who proved their capabilities and patriotism beyond question, transformed the armed forces--formerly the nation's most racially polarized institution--and jump-started the modern struggle for racial equality.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book The Iron Curtain : Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book Angst: Origins of Anxiety and Depression by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book Dom Casmurro by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book The Quest For The Perfect Hive : A History Of Innovation In Bee Culture by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book Cleopatra:A Biography by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book Asia's Next Giant : South Korea And Late Industrialization by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book Understanding the Alcoholic's Mind: The Nature of Craving and How to Control It by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book The Last Indian War:The Nez Perce Story by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book The Music Instinct:How Music Works and Why We Can't Do Without It by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book A Well-Regulated Militia : The Founding Fathers And The Origins Of Gun Control In America by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book Music In The Late Twentieth Century by J. Todd Moye
Cover of the book The Polluters: The Making of Our Chemically Altered Environment by J. Todd Moye
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy