The Crisis

"The object of this publication is to set forth those facts and arguments which show the clanger of race prejudice, particularly as manifested today toward colored people." This is the first line of Editorial Article in the first issue of this magazine, and it very clearly detects what is to be expected from all future volumes. The motive behind "The Crisis" is one which is particularly fragile at the beginning of the 20th century, and this magazine is arguably necessary as a way of communicating the overall state of racial discrimination that the country was in. For example, also in the magazine it is stated that it was not right to let African-Americans vote without being educated, with "the colored people should have been educated first, and then gradually emancipated. It was a mistake to set them free untutored and helpless." This, along with other opinions, illustrated the turmoil that society was in, over racial inclusion in society; which was played into when it came time to bring our country into the first World War.  

This issue was published at the start of World War 1; as pointed out within the timeline, included within the magazine is an illustration by "The New York Herald" that depict the Battle of Marne in France. The story behind the photo was that the Germans at the time were invading France and advancing toward Paris, but the French, allied with the British Expeditionary Force, decided to intervene before they could get there.  As the caption below the picture put it, "after many had been slain on both sides the Germans retreated." This relates to our overall thesis in that the illustration was the initial mentioning of the war in The Crisis, and many more were to follow.  

Within this issue there is an overall theme of patriotism, with the inclusion of the song manuscript for "America the Beautiful" and many articles revolved around an overall sense of love for the United States. The positive feeling that is evident is most likely an affect of the ending of World War 1, this had most citizens in good spirits. One soldier still in France at this time sent in a letter the The Crisis that ended on a good note with "colored America has more than justified the hopes of those who have always believed in it, and more than earned all that we have demanded for it. I take off my hat to the courage and devoted patriotism of black men in this war."

The last issue that is available in the Modernist Journals Project was published in December of 1922, and interestingly enough it ties together a lot of the themes found within the entire magazine as a whole. One women wrote to the magazine with, "I believe ignorance is the main trouble with white people now. Of course it is criminal ignorance. For myself I can only say 'I did not know,' otherwise I should have been long ago doing all in my power to bring about justice for all." She pin points the overall goal of The Crisis with spreading an understanding of what it is like to be an African-American at this time, with the war and all other global event.