Final answer:
World War I provided African Americans with new employment opportunities and increased political participation in the North, leading to the Great Migration. Seeing a different reality abroad, particularly in France, and serving in a segregated military fueled a push for civil rights postwar. The war spurred greater activism and laid the groundwork for civil rights movements that followed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Impact of World War I on African Americans
The First World War had a transformative effect on African Americans, presenting new opportunities and challenges that contributed to the drive for greater civil rights. The war led to an increase in industrial jobs for African Americans as they filled positions left by White men serving in the military. This began the Great Migration of rural Southern blacks to Northern cities where they found fewer restrictions on their civil rights, voted freely, and participated more fully in politics and organized labor. Military service during the war, despite being segregated, provided a sense of pride and a hope that contributions would translate to better treatment and equality at home. However, the social changes were threatened at the end of the conflict as there was an expectation of returning to the prewar social order.
Experiences abroad, particularly in France where African American soldiers were treated with greater respect, and the contrast with their treatment in the U.S. military, fueled a growing disillusionment with racial segregation and inequality in the United States. This led to increased activism and the establishment of civil rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP) and others that fought for systematic changes. These factors, combined with the contributions of African Americans during the war, set the stage for the civil rights movements that would follow.