Download Minority Participation in the American War Effort

VUS.11c – 13a World War II and its Affect on Minorities and the Home Front
Minority Participation in the American War Effort
World War II solidified the United States’ role as a global power. It also ushered in (started) social changes and established
reform agendas that would preoccupy public discourse (discussion) in the United States for the remainder of the 20 th
century. When men left the factories to serve in the armed forces during World War II, women entered into previously male
job roles. African-Americans struggled to obtain desegregation of the armed forces and end racial discriminatory hiring
practices.
Throughout World War II, the United States armed forces generally required African-Americans to serve in segregated
military units and often assigned them to non-combat roles. African-Americans demanded the right to serve in combat
rather than support roles. For example, the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American flyers, served with distinction
in Europe. Other minority units also contributed to the American war effort. First, Nisei regiments of Japanese-Americans
earned a high number of decorations. Since the Nisei were American-born sons of Japanese immigrant parents, they were,
of course, Asian-Americans. Second, the U.S. military used communication codes of the Navajo Indians. Because these
codes consisted of oral rather than written language, it was impossible for the Japanese to break them. Mexican-Americans,
who also fought in the American armed forces, were not segregated in separate units. Minority units suffered high
casualties and won numerous unit citations and individual medals for bravery in action.
The Geneva Convention and Treatment of Prisoners of War during World War II
The manner in which a nation conducts war often depends upon its social and moral codes. The treatment of
prisoners of war often reflects the savage nature of military conflict and the cultural norms of the nation.
The Geneva Convention was one of a series of international agreements, first made in Geneva, Switzerland, in
1864, which established rules for the humane treatment of prisoners of war and of the sick, the wounded, and the dead in
battle. The Geneva Convention tried to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners of war by establishing rules to be
followed by all nations.
During World War II, the treatment of prisoners of war varied greatly. The treatment of prisoners in the Pacific
Theater often reflected the savagery of the fighting there. For example, in the Bataan Death March, American POWs
suffered brutal treatment by the Japanese after the Americans surrendered the Philippines. As the United States followed its
island hopping strategy in the Pacific, Japanese soldiers often committed suicide rather than surrender. In contrast, the
treatment of prisoners in Europe more closely followed the ideas of the Geneva Convention.
The Holocaust and its Impact on Jews and other Groups
Specific groups, often the object of hatred and prejudice, face increased risk of discrimination during wartime. This
was particularly true for Jews who lived in areas under German control during World War II. The Holocaust was Nazi
Germany’s systematic murder of millions of European Jews. Hitler’s “final solution” was Germany’s decision to
exterminate (kill) all Jews. In short, Nazi Germany attempted genocide of European Jews. Genocide is the systematic and
purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group. In the Holocaust the Nazis targeted not only Jews,
but also Slavs, Gypsies, Poles, and “undesirables.” The Nazis defined “undesirables” to include homosexuals, the mentally
ill and political dissidents (those who opposed Hitler’s government).
The Nuremberg Trials were post-World War II trials of Nazi leaders for war crimes. These trials, held in
Nuremberg, Germany, convicted many Nazi leaders of committing “crimes against humanity” during World War II. The
Nuremberg trials emphasized (stressed) individual responsibility for actions during a war, regardless of the military orders
the accused may have received. Since these trials publicized the horrors of the Holocaust’s Nazi death camps, they led to
increased demand for a Jewish homeland. In 1948 Jewish settlers living in the former British mandate of Palestine founded
the nation of Israel as a homeland for Jews. Both Great Britain and the United States quickly recognized the state of Israel.
The American Home Front during World War II
Success in World War II required the total commitment of America’s resources. Contributions to the war effort
came from all segments of society. Both American public schools and the American mass media promoted (encouraged)
nationalism or a strong feeling of patriotism during World War II. Also on the home front, the federal government unfairly
forced most Japanese-Americans to live in internment camps throughout the war.
Economic resources – The United States government and American industry forged (put together) a close working
relationship to use resources effectively. First, the federal government used rationing to maintain an adequate supply of
products essential to the war effort. Under rationing, each American family received a monthly allowance of such essential
items as sugar, meat, and gasoline. Second, the Roosevelt administration used war bonds and the federal income tax to
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finance the war. Bonds are government I.O.U.s that are repaid with interest. In short, when the federal government sold
war bonds, it was borrowing money from the people to finance the war effort. Third, American corporations retooled from
peacetime to wartime production. For example, General Motors converted their automobile assembly plants to factories that
manufactured tanks.
Human resources – Citizens volunteered in support of the war effort. In addition, more women and minorities
entered the labor force as men entered the armed forces. Women entered into previously male job roles. They increasingly
participated in the workforce to replace men, who were serving in the armed forces. “Rosie the Riveter” became a symbol
of the American woman who traded housework for factory work during World War II. Many women also joined the armed
forces and participated in non-combat military roles.
African-Americans struggled to obtain desegregation of the armed forces and end discriminatory hiring practices. A. Philip
Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and an African-American, fought against job
discrimination. Randolph planned a giant march on Washington for July 1941 to demand equal hiring in defense jobs and
the “right to fight” in the military. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Randolph and made a deal. Roosevelt issued
Executive Order 8802, which prohibited racial discrimination in war industries, although not in the armed forces. In return,
Randolph agreed to cancel the march. During World War II, African-Americans migrated to cities in search of jobs in war
plants. Throughout the war, African-American leaders campaigned for victory abroad and equality at home.
Military Resources – Fighting a war on two fronts (Europe and the Pacific) required the United States to add tens
of thousands of servicemen to the American Armed Forces. In 1940, at President Roosevelt’s request, Congress passed the
Selective Training and Service Act. This law established the first peacetime draft in American history. After the attack on
Pearl Harbor, the selective service or draft law required all men between ages eighteen and forty-five to sign up for military
service. This gave the United States government a large pool of men from which to draw in order to meet the personnel
needs of the American military during World War II.
Internment of Japanese-Americans – During World War II, the United States government relocated most
Japanese-Americans to internment camps, where the government required them to stay until the end of the war. JapaneseAmericans could not leave these camps without government permission. Internment especially affected Japanese-American
populations living along the West Coast, where most Americans of Japanese descent resided. In 1944 the United States
Supreme Court upheld the federal government’s right to place Japanese-Americans in internment camps in the case of
Korematsu v. United States. In 1988 President Ronald Reagan finally issued a public apology to these Japanese-Americans,
and the United States government made financial payments to thousands of surviving internees.
The experience of Japanese-Americans during World War II is a clear example of how racial prejudice, coupled
with wartime fears, can affect the civil liberties of minorities in a democracy like the United States. Two basic reasons
existed for the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. First, strong anti-Japanese prejudice existed on the
West Coast. Second, many Americans falsely believed that Japanese-Americans were aiding the enemy.
Role of the American Media in the War Effort – During World War II, the American media and entertainment
industries saw their role as supporting the American war effort by promoting nationalism. Nationalism is a strong feeling of
patriotism or devotion to one’s country. The United States government maintained strict censorship of the reporting of the
war by the American media. Public morale and ad campaigns kept Americans focused on the war effort. The American
entertainment industry produced movies, plays, and shows that boosted morale and patriotic support for the war effort, as
well as portrayed the enemy in stereotypical ways.
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Questions:
1. What types of changes were brought about as a result of WWII?
2. How were women a part of this social change?
3. How did African Americans want the armed forces to change?
4. In what types of units were African American’s forced to serve? What type of roles did African
Americans fill?
5. Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
6. What was the Nisei regiment? What type of people were they?
7. How did the Navajo Indians serve as an important part of the military in WWII?
8. What was different about how Mexican Americans served verses the way Japanese and African
Americans were forced to serve in the military?
9. What was the Geneva Convention?
10. What was the purpose of the Geneva Convention?
11. Which theater of operation saw the harshest treatment of prisoners of war?
12. What was the Bataan Death March?
13. What was the reaction of many Japanese soldiers when faced with the chance of becoming a prisoner of
war?
14. What was the Holocaust?
15. Explain Hitler’s final solution?
16. Define Genocide.
17. What groups were targets of Hitler’s final solution?
18. What group of people were the subjects of the Nuremburg Trials? What was stressed at these trials?
19. The trials led to the demand for a homeland for what group of people?
20. What was promoted in American schools and through American mass media?
21. What were rationing and war bonds?
22. How did corporations change to aid in the war effort?
23. What was the symbol of the American working woman?
24. Where did African Americans move in search of jobs?
25. What was the Selective Training and Service Act and how did it affect the size of the military?
26. Where were many Japanese Americans taken during WWII?
27. Why were Japanese-Americans taken there? (#26)
28. What role did the government have in mass media during WWII?
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