Henry Johnson, a Black man who left the South as part of the Great Migration, signed up to serve his country during World War I. At the time, the American military was segregated, and Pvt. Henry Johnson and his regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, were attached to a French army unit on the front lines. Read about their defense against an enemy attack in May 1918 and how Johnson became one of the first Americans ever awarded France’s Croix de Guerre. Then learn what happened afterward. America250 is a multi-year effort to commemorate the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the United States. The purpose of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, created by Congress, and the corresponding America250 Foundation is to catalyze a more perfect union by designing and leading the most comprehensive and inclusive celebration in our country’s history. America250 represents a coalition of public and private partners working together to create initiatives and programs that honor our first 250 years and inspire Americans to imagine the next 250.