In the past the military was shown as a group in which white males. This was made evident in institutional policies that had limited military service to white males until the Second World War. Though there were documented accounts of women disguising themselves as men and fighting in the continental army and marines during the American Revolution. Cathay Williams Nor (who was also known as Private William Cathey) served with the 38th infantry in the Western Frontier disguised as a man from 1866-1868. She was the only woman to have been a buffalo solider. If they were not disguising themselves as men, women were typically nurses, kitchen help, and laundry workers. Two examples of Black women who served the United States military in earlier times includes Susie King Taylor who served as a laundress and volunteer nurse for the union army during the Civil War and Harriet Tubman who served in the Union army as a scout, spy, and …show more content…
Over the years there has been an increase in the number of African American women who serve in the armed forces. The rate of African American women with military affiliation is greater than women of other ethnic backgrounds, also they make up a higher percentage of service members than African American men. Though there is an increase, there has been little attention that has been given to Black women in the military. The increase in the enlistment of Black women reflects an expansion of employment opportunities in the military for women and minorities