The racial attitudes in the U.S. around the turn of the century were severe. Many African- American men joined the military primarily because it was one of the few organizations that offered them a career and a pension. Little evidence has been found at this point to indicate that they had a more challenging experience here in the Sierra as compared to their Euro-American counterparts. When one considers the national "climate" at the time, and the documented hostility toward the indigenous peoples of the Sierra, it would be an aberration if race was not a significant factor in their lives. Indeed, one of the main reasons why African-Americans joined the military during the Spanish-American War was to make conditions better for loved ones on the home front.