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African Americans After Ww2

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World War II caused many changes for the United States across seas and most importantly on the home-front. The United States previously endured a major change with the Great Depression and had yet to adapt to another change with the start of World War II in 1939. With the Great Depression taking millions of jobs from the people of the United States, World War II brought them out of the depression and gave back millions of those jobs and more. The main reason for the jobs to return was to help with the war efforts of World War II. As the United States did not enter the war until 1941, Germany previously invaded Poland in 1939 and formed the axis powers with Japan and Italy. The United States tried to remain neutral during the war until Japan …show more content…

Before the war, African Americans had little rights and were still under the Jim Crow laws. They wanted to be treated and ‘seen’ as Americans just as everyone else was. African Americans earned social citizenship by fighting for jobs in the economy and military. This is referenced in “A Call to March on Washington”, and stated “ We call upon you to struggle for the integration of Negroes in the armed forces..” (A Call to March on Washington, 213). African Americans wanted to do what they could for the good of the country because they truly cared for and believed in the United States. They felt as if they could fight for their country, they should be considered a citizen of the country. African Americans also fought for jobs in the United States to not only earn a living but also to help with the war efforts in defense industries. In “A Call to March on Washington”, it also states “We call upon you to demonstrate for the abolition of Jim-Crowism in all Government departments and defense employment” (A Call to March on Washington, 213). African Americans wanted to help but racial discrimination kept them away from jobs. The real March on Washington was proposed by A. Philip Randolph in 1941, in which he wanted FDR to force the economy to hire African Americans. FDR went on to issue Order 8802 which prohibited discrimination against African Americans in defense industries …show more content…

Apart of the process to fill these jobs, the Government was able to bring in 10,000 Mexican workers with the Bracero program (Rizzi, “WWII and the Origins of the Cold War”). The main purpose of these workers was to help with the agricultural market and keep it going during the war. Although the program kept going after the war, it involved very bad working conditions and wages. Many would think that the workers would strike while under these conditions but the Smith-Connolly Act of 1943 prohibited such. This act forbids strikes during wartime efforts and political contributions. Political citizenship was experienced very differently during the war mainly because of certain conditions the government needed to follow to keep the United States under control and progressing. An order the government had to established was Order 9066, which forced Japanese from their homes and held them in camps. Japanese Internment could be interpreted for occurring because of the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. President Roosevelt forced the order, as it is recalled by Mikiso Hane, “President Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066 on February 19, 1942, authorizing the evacuation and internment of all West Coast Japanese including Japanese-American citizens” (Japanese American Mikiso Hane Remembers His Wartime Internment, 1990, 227). Many Americans believed

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At first the African Americans only served as laborers. They built things like roads and defensive supplies. As a result, they had protested about their duties in the military. By

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Japan's unexpected assault on Pearl Harbor in 1941 caused America to be thrown into a period of chaos and anxiety. During this horrid time, Japanese-Americans residing on the West Coast were labeled as the main suspects of espionage and seen as dangerous because of their heritage. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, as a result of the prevailing feelings of fear and unpredictability. This order, which allowed the displacement and imprisonment of more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, represented a major shift in U.S. history. Families were forcibly removed from their houses, their belongings were taken, and Japanese individuals were transported thousands of miles to be placed in these camps.

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After African Americans had the opportunity to prove themselves in the Civil War that didn't change how the whites viewed the African Americans. Throughout the years African Americans we're slowly accepted into society it wasn't until Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and etc. came along end change the lives of all African Americans in the United States. Overall having African Americans join the Union Army helped the Union when the Civil War by giving them more opportunities and giving them a higher chance of winning the Civil

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An estimated 180,000 African Americans went on to serve in the army, while another 18,000 served in the navy for the Union (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-issues-emancipation-proclamation). When African Americans heard they were technically allowed to be free now, according to the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans wanted to fight on the side that would allow them to remain free even after the war ends. At the start of the war, they were not allowed to take part in the army and fight in fear that some states, like Missouri, would quickly transition over to the Confederacy's side. (http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/black-troops-in-union-blue) however, with the war not ending as quickly as the Union thought it would, the numbers of white male volunteers dropped signirficantly with the hope diminishing. At this same time, Lincoln realized that once the war was over there was no possible way that slavery could or should continue and begun to believe the phrase Frederick Douglas about how slavery was “the source and center of this gigantic rebellion.”

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After the war, newly freed African Americans wanted to do what they could not do as slaves. Men wanted to move to new areas, after being stuck on one plantation all their life with

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The amount of participation the African American community had on the war effort is astounding the amount of time and energy they gave was undeniably helpful for the war. Many of the men and women helped whether it was on the battle field or in the factories providing resources for the

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During the war, blacks were used as motivation to fight, they were willing to help fight, and they even worked their way into the politics of the post war

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Many African Americans did not go right in to fighting in the war they started by doing household jobs/chores.3 These jobs consisted of; cooking, cleaning, and getting weapons, and nursing the sick and many more things. After all the training they had to go through some of the “Buffalo Soldiers” (blacks) were sent into war.4 Many were put on the front line because they whites thought they were not as important. The black soldiers did not seem to care as long as they were out there fighting and not do a “slave mans” work. Almost all of the black soldiers lost their lives in

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African Americans finally felt involved in their country. The war included many acts of violence caused by racism. During this war, African

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African Americans fought in the Civil War on the Union and Confederate side. Most of the slaves were free and run away slaves. The emancipation proclamation helped the slaves be free and get their citizenship. Black soldiers did not receive equal or treatment white soldiers made more money. In June 1864 Congress granted retroactive equal pay meaning blacks and whites made the same pay.

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The Civil War was an ugly fight between the South, which was fighting to keep slavery, and the North, which was fighting for African American's freedom and to eradicate slavery so the South can stay with the Union. During the Civil War both the North and the South needed the help of African American slaves, because both did not have enough people working on their sides. Both sides' armies had very different views on where the African Americans should be placed for their military service. One way we clearly can see this is through the recruitment posters from both sides. A Confederate recruitment poster shows that the South viewed African Americans as race who aren't their own person, and only are able to do labor for the army.

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In every historical event in The United States of America, black Americans have always had a part in the events. From the Revolutionary War to the World Wars, blacks have not only fought alongside their white counterparts, but they also cleaned, cooked and waited on others during the wars. However, when their uniforms were off and times when they weren’t, blacks still faced discrimination, abuse and lack of support from the same country they fought for “freedom.” This ultimately lead many black Americans to question the meaning of freedom, because no matter the outcome of the war, the situation for black Americans were not going to change, especially if the decision was left to the government. Therefore, the participation of blacks during World

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As the war was beginning, ex-slaves wanted to in role to get a piece of the action. They wanted to fight for their freedom and against those who had enslaved them and had separated them from their families for generations. African Americans from all parts of the United States volunteered and tried to enlist. However, wherever they went, they were met with rejection. It was stated by the “History of African-Americans in the Civil War” "

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In the years of the Civil War, African Americans played an important role in contributing to the Union Army and the confederate army. A great deal of African American men volunteered to join the Union Army but only after they gained freedom did they participate in fighting the war. Besides the Union Army, there was the confederate army which consisted of slave labor whom were forced to aid the confederacy following their masters. Later in the war, the Confederacy ran short on men and were in need to supply soldiers, leaving no choice but to enlist the colored men. Not only were African American men impacted from the war, but African American women also served to supply and aid in the war.

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Post Civil War, African Americans started to gain rights to gain rights, and soon gain rights equal to whites. While there were some people/things standing in their way (KKK, Black Codes), in the end they got what they needed; Equality. Many acts and laws were passed to aid the new rights now held by African Americans, as well as the numerous people willing to help. New Amendments were added to give African Americans rights after the war, all giving them some equal rights to whites. The first of the three added was the Thirteenth Amendment, it gave African Americans freedom from slave owners, and stated that no one could be kept as a slave in the U.S..

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