During World War I, the U.S. Army Signal Corps used new film technology for military reconnaissance, war propaganda, and to create a historical record. The Committee on Public Information edited and distributed these films to promote the war effort. This lesson asks students to think critically about several Signal Corps films and evaluate their strengths and limitations as evidence of the experience of African American soldiers during the war.
Image: Photo of members of the "Harlem Hellfighters,” 1919. From the National Archives.
