The Victory Monument on King Drive near 35th Street honors Black Chicagoans who fought in France during the First World War. Nearby is a plaque for their former commander, Colonel Franklin A. Denison. Beloved by his troops, Denison was removed from command before he could lead his men into battle. He subsequently came under the attention of the Bureau of Investigation, the precursor of the FBI. Its Chicago office identified Denison as “the chief individual agitator” of the 1919 Chicago race riot.
As a measure of his own patriotism, Denison served in the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, the only all-Black unit in the country. After the unit was mobilized during the Spanish-American War, Denison, who was fluent in Spanish, was appointed a judge of the Court of Claims in Santiago, Cuba. In 1914, he earned the rank of colonel.
Taking out a French coin, Denison elaborated on the inscription “Freedom, Equality and Fraternity.” The informants felt that his comments implied that “colored people were deliberately oppressed” and that the motto on American coins, “In God We Trust,” was disingenuous. Although Denison “occasionally” mentioned the need to buy war bonds, the informants felt his speech had ruined their prepared presentation. The report touched on rumors that Denison had broken under the strain in France.
