After experiencing tremendous racial violence, discrimination and systematic oppression by White America, W.E.B. DuBois, like many other African Americans at that time, felt that the sense of patriotism exuded by black veterans in WWI may have been in vain. In May 1919, DuBois wrote the article “Returning Soldiers”. In this article he states: “..we fought gladly and to the last drop of blood; for America and her highest ideals, we fought in far-off hope; for the dominant southern oligarchy entrenched in Washington, we fought in bitter resignation. For the America that represents and gloats in lynching, disfranchisement, caste, brutality and devilish insult—for this, in the hateful upturning and mixing of things, we were forced by vindictive fate to fight also.” In this excerpt, Dubois attitude towards patriotism seems to shift. Instead of calling African Americans to forget their grievances like in “Close Ranks”, Dubois highlights Americans contradictions in terms of liberty and calls on African Americans to fight for their equality in their own country. He goes on to write, “this is the country to which we Soldiers of Democracy return. This is the fatherland for which we fought! But it is our fatherland. It was right for us to fight. The faults of our country are our faults. Under similar circumstances, we would fight again. But by the God of Heaven, we are cowards and jackasses if now that that war is over, we do not marshal every ounce of our brain and brawn to fight a sterner, longer, more unbending battle against the forces of hell in our own land.” With this article, Dubois seems to recognize that African Americans’ service in the did very little to progress racial harmony, instead increasing tensions all over the nation. However, one can also argue that the militarization effect WW1 had on African Americans, this enabled the African American community organize and fight oppression in the future.