One of my men came to me several days ago," [an officer] said, and asked me why I had joned the army. He reminded me that I was above draft age and he wanted me to tell him what I was fighting for. I told him I was fighting for what the flag meant to the Negroes in the United States. I told him I was fighting because I wanted other oppressed people to know the meaning of democracy and enjoy it. I told him that millions of Americans fought for four years for us Negroes to get it and now it was only right that we should fight for all we were worth to help other people get the same thing
From "How Negro Officer Felt about Fighting." Complete History of the Colored Soldiers in the World War. Authentic Story of the Greatest War of Civilized Times and What the Colored Man Did to Uphold Democracy and Liberty (Bennett & Churchill, New York, 1919), p. 157:
According to the author, what did the American flag represent to black Americans? Provide examples from the text to support your answer. 3-4 sentences.