Buffalo Soldiers

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the Buffalo Soldiers played a crucial, though often overlooked, role in the history of Westward expansion. It looks at how, by protecting settlers, the Buffalo Soldiers paved the way for the settlement of the West and the creation of the United States. It also examines how, by showing courage on the battlefield, the Buffalo Soldiers challenged prevailing misconceptions about black people and how, in doing so, they contributed to the establishment of multicultural societies in the West and, by extension, in the rest of the United States.

From the Paper:

"The Buffalo Soldiers initially came into being because during the late 19th century, the United States Military supported segregation. Black freemen thus could not serve along with the white soldiers. Thus, the Buffalo Soldiers were tasked with building forts which were often reserved only for white soldiers. In Forth Concho, the Buffalo Soldiers were housed in separate rooms. However, historians like Stanford L. Davis (1999) argue that the realities of military life would have forced these soldiers to come into contact with one another, during activities like meals, maneuvers or training. In this way, Davis argues that the presence of the Buffalo Soldiers in military establishments would have laid a foundation for challenging many white soldiers? prejudices against black people."

More papers on Buffalo Soldiers:

• Film Review # 5919 : "Buffalo Soldiers"
• Essay # 16913 : "The Life of a Buffalo Soldier"
• Analytical Essay # 11214 : "The Things They Carried"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: