Due to the prevailing social climate that existed in the United States after WWII, one in which racism was a prominent factor, African Americans did not benefit from the provisions of the G. I. Bill of Rights as much as their white counterparts. Though the bill did provide a more level playing field for blacks than the one they faced during the Reconstruction period, that is not saying much. The fact that John Elliott Rankin, an avid segregationalist and racist, sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives shows that the congressional negotiations that shaped the legislation were not egalitarian regarding race. Although the law did not specifically provide for discrimination, the social climate of the time dictated that the law would be interpreted differently for blacks than for whites.

Not only did blacks face discrimination once they returned home after the war, the poverty that most blacks faced during the 1940s and 1950s represented another hurdle in their path to utilizing the benefits of the G.I. Bill because it made it problematic for them to seek an education when labor and income where needed at home. The VA, because of its strong affiliation to the all-white American Legion and VFW, also became a formidable foe to many blacks in search of an education because the VA had the power to deny or grant the claims of black G.I.s. Additionally, banks and mortgage agencies refused loans to blacks, making the G.I. Bill even less effective for them.

The black middle class failed to keep pace with the white middle class because the blacks had fewer opportunities to earn college degrees. These fewer opportunities stemmed from the fact (besides those mentioned above) that gaining admission to universities was no easy task for blacks who were allowed to utilize the provisions of the G.I. Bill. Most universities had segregationist principles underlying their admissions policies, utilizing either official or unofficial quotas. Even if they could gain admission to universities, public education was in such a poor state for blacks that many of them were not adequately prepared for college level work. Those blacks that were prepared for college level work and gained admission to predominately white universities still experienced racism on campus.

By 1946, only one fifth of the 100,000 blacks who had applied for educational benefits had been registered in college. Furthermore, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) came under a lot of pressure as increased enrollments and strained resources forced them to turn away an estimated 20,000 veterans. HBCUs were already the poorest colleges because they rested at the bottom of the educational hierarchy. To most whites, HBCUs only served the purpose of keeping blacks out of white colleges. The HBCUs resources were stretched even thinner when veterans’ demands necessitated a shift in the curriculum away from the traditional “preach and teach” course of study offered by the HBCUs.

Though there were many obstacles that blacks encountered in their pursuit of the benefits offered by the G.I. Bill, there were some positive aspects of the law for the African American community as well. The bill greatly expanded the population of African Americans attending college and graduate school. In 1940, enrollment at Black colleges was 1.08% of total U.S. college enrollment. By 1950 it had increaded to 3.6%. Additionally, the bill led to the passage of the Lanham Act of 1946, which provided for the federal funding of improvement and expansion of HBCUs.

Ronald Roach wrote, “Clearly, the G.I. Bill was a crack in the wall of racism that had surrounded the American university system. It forced predominately white colleges to allow a larger number of blacks to enroll, contributed to a more diverse curriculum at many HBCUs, and helped provide a foundation for the gradual growth of the black middle class.” Not only did the G.I. Bill provide the foundation for the black middle class, it educated the generation of African Americans who would help spearhead the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

References

Hilary Herbold, "Never A Level Playing Field: Blacks and the G.I. Bill," The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, (Winter, 1994-1995), 104-105,107,108.

Ronald Roach, "From Combat to Campus: G.I. Bill Gave a Generation of African Americans and Opportunity to Pursue the American Dream," Black Issues in Higher Education, (August 21, 1997), 26-29.