Download 6.8 - Humble ISD

The War At Home/The Impact of
World War II
Topic 6.8
Mexican Americans
• Mexican Americans
working in the United
States faced discrimination
• Joined the armed forces
• Wartime economy brought
new job opportunities
– Found jobs shipyards
– Aircraft factories
Bracero Program
 Shortage of farm laborers
 The United States seeks
help from Mexico
 200,000 Mexican Farm
Workers
 Agreement between the US
and Mexico for
transportation, housing and
care for cheap labor
Zoot Suits
• 1940s some young
Mexican Americans in
Los Angeles began to
wear Zoot Suits
• This look offended
many people
• un-American
• Baggy pants
• Long jackets
Zoot Suit Riot
•
•
•
•
Young Hispanic Men
US Soldiers
Clashes between sailors and young Hispanic men
Early 1943 street fights grew into riots
Zoot Suit Riot
• Los Angeles
• Racism
• Soldiers thought Zoot-suits looked “un-American”
Jose M. Lopez
• Received
Congressional Medal
of Honor
• Singlehandedly
holding off a German
tank and infantry
assault
Jose M. Lopez
Jose M. Lopez
African Americans
• Struggled for decades to end discrimination
• 1941-industries searched for new workers to
meet demands
• Still many African Americans remained jobless
A. Philip Randolph
• Powerful union leader
• Though mass protest
might force the
government to end
discrimination
• Called for a march on
Washington D.C.
Executive Order 8802
• June 25, 1941 FDR signed Executive Order 8802
• Assured fair hiring practices in any job funded with
government money
– Opening jobs in defense plants to all Americans
• Created the Fair Employment Practices Committee
(FEPC)
– Hear complaints about job discrimination in defense
industries
– Many defense employers ignored its recommendations
• First time in American History the government acted
against discrimination in employment
CORE
•
•
•
•
•
Congress on Racial Equality (CORE)
Civil Rights Group
Started in Chicago
Spread to other cities
Protest Jim Crow and racial segregation
– non-violent protest
• Sit-ins
• 1st sit in 1943
• Helped pave the way for civil rights movements in the
future
1st Lt. Vernon Baker
• Citation: For extraordinary
heroism in action on 5 and 6
April 1945, near Viareggio,
Italy. Then Second Lieutenant
Baker demonstrated
outstanding courage and
leadership in destroying
enemy installations, personnel
and equipment during his
company's attack against a
strongly entrenched enemy in
mountainous terrain. When his
company was stopped by the
concentration of fire from
several machine gun
emplacements, he crawled to
one position and destroyed it,
killing three Germans.
Continuing forward, he
attacked an enemy
observation post and killed two
occupants. With the aid of one
of his men,
• Lieutenant Baker attacked two
more machine gun nests,
killing or wounding the four
enemy soldiers occupying
these positions. He then
covered the evacuation of the
wounded personnel of his
company by occupying an
exposed position and drawing
the enemy's fire. On the
following night Lieutenant
Baker voluntarily led a
battalion advance through
enemy mine fields and heavy
fire toward the division
objective. Second Lieutenant
Baker's fighting spirit and
daring leadership were an
inspiration to his men and
exemplify the highest traditions
of the Armed Forces.
Japanese Internment
• 1942 President Roosevelt signed Executive
Order 9066
• Set up the War Relocation Authority
• 110,000 Japanese-American citizens
• Forced relocation of American citizens of
Japanese descent to camps.
• 1942-1945
Japanese Internment
• Moved from west coast to “desolate inland areas”
• Many personal possessions were lost
• Fear of Japanese in post-Pearl Harbor U.S.
• "He fought with great
gallantry and intrepidity
near Seravezza, Italy.
When his unit was pinned
down by grazing fire from
the enemy's strong
mountain defense and
command of the squad
devolved on him with the
wounding of its regular
leader, he made frontal,
one-man attacks through
direct fire and knocked out
two machineguns with
grenades.
Sadao S.
Munemori
• Withdrawing under
murderous fire and showers
of grenades from other
enemy emplacements, he
had nearly reached a shell
crater occupied by two of
his men when an
unexploded grenade
bounced on his helmet and
rolled toward his helpless
comrades. He arose into
the withering fire, dived for
the missile and smothered
its blast with his body. By
his swift, supremely heroic
action Pfc. Munemori saved
two of his men at the cost of
his own life and did much to
clear the path for his
company's victorious
advance."
• 442nd Regimental Combat Team
• Won more medals for bravery than any other
unit in United States history
• Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity at risk
of life above and beyond the
call of duty in action on 22
September 1943, at Oliveto,
Italy. Although 2nd Lt.
Childers previously had just
suffered a fractured instep he,
with 8 enlisted men, advanced
up a hill toward enemy
machinegun nests. The group
advanced to a rock wall
overlooking a cornfield and
2nd Lt. Childers ordered a
base of fire laid across the
field so that he could advance.
When he was fired upon by 2
enemy snipers from a nearby
house he killed both of them.
Lt. Ernest Childers
• He moved behind the
machinegun nests and killed
all occupants of the nearer
one. He continued toward the
second one and threw rocks
into it. When the 2 occupants
of the nest raised up, he shot
1. The other was killed by 1 of
the 8 enlisted men. 2nd Lt.
Childers continued his
advance toward a house
farther up the hill, and singlehanded, captured an enemy
mortar observer. The
exceptional leadership,
initiative, calmness under fire,
and conspicuous gallantry
displayed by 2nd Lt. Childers
were an inspiration to his men.
Pappy Boyington
• Gregory "Pappy"
Boyington
• World War II Fighter Pilot
• volunteered to be a
"Flying Tiger" pilot in
China prior to Pearl
Harbor.
• He spent a year and a half
as a Japanese POW, was
awarded the
Congressional Medal of
Honor,
The United Nations
• In August of 1941 President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill secretly met on a
warship off the coast of
Newfoundland
– Atlantic Charter
– A joint declaration that set out a
vision for the postwar world
• In January 1942, a group of 26
Allied nations pledged their
support for this declaration
– The document is considered one of
the first key steps toward the
establishment of the United Nations