A 2004 proclamation from Spartanburg, SC, honoring the 369th regiment Harlem Hellfighters.

In 1917, upon hearing that black soldiers would be training in his city, the mayor of Spartanburg, J. F. Floyd said the following, “I was sorry to learn that the Fifteenth Regiment has been ordered here, for with their Northern ideas about race equality, they will probably expect to be treated like white men. I can say right here that they will not be treated as anything except Negroes. This thing is like waving a red flag in the face of a bull, something that can’t be done without trouble.”

Citation Information
City of Spartanburg, “Proclamation honoring 369th Regiment Harlem Hell Fighters,” Digital Public Library of America, http://dp.la/item/07d31cd209b7f4feac87539297cde50b.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of Spartanburg County Public Libraries via South Carolina Digital Library.
Link iconView item information
External link iconView in South Carolina Digital Library

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience