Influence of Racism among the American Society after WWII and Its Aftermath Today - Coursework Example

Influence of racism among the American society after World War 2 and its aftermath today The Second World Wartook place from 1st September 1939 to 2nd September 1945. There are many reasons for the cause of the Second World War but the main one was a great desire by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi German Army to control Europe. They had an interest in having most of the Agrarian land. Germany got the support of mainly Japan and Italy. Japan was interested in controlling the East of Asia especially China (Krause,2001). World War two had two main parties: The Axis made of Germany, Japan, Italy and any other country that supported Hitler. The other party was the Allies made of opposing countries like the United Kingdom, USA, Soviet Union, China and France among others. Racism in America before World War 2 (Flynn, 1984). Racism is when there is discrimination or segregation of people of a particular skill color. People from different countries were welcomed to the US when they arrived as they were a source of cheap labor (Krause,2001). Most African –Americans were shipped to the States as slaves from different African countries. Japanese had also moved to America. Before the World War 2, most African-Americans worked in farms as cheap laborers under harsh conditions (Krause,2001). The Second World War was a welcome relief for many African-Americans as it was a way to escape poverty by enrolling in various branches of the armed forces. However, not all army branches accepted African-American enrollees. Branches like the Marine Corps, Army Air Corps together with the Coast Guard did not accept any African-Americans (Kersten,2002). The Navy could only allow them to work as mess men. African-Americans could not be seen in active combat. Even when working for the army, there was discrimination and segregation. The justification for segregation was that it was a way for races to live in a society without racial tension and conflict. The African-Americans were trained in all black training ground away from their white countrymen (Krause,2001).Patrols did not mix races. The African-Americans had their own patrols headed by a white commander. When fighting, the races did not mix even when fighting for the same country. In some cases, the African-American trained with sticks instead of guns as their white counterparts (Kersten,2002). The reason for this discrimination in the Army was the notion that black people were unsuited to serve as officers as they were careless, irresponsible, untruthful and unmoral. This segregation and discrimination led to low morale among the African-American military men during the war as they felt they came second to the white soldiers and were constantly monitored to do menial works (Kersten,2002). Those left out from the army continued working in the farms. In Ohio, most African-Americans got menial jobs. Skilled and semi-skilled labor was left for the whites. However, with more need for the war effort, more and more eligible whites joined the army leaving their previously headed posts to be replaced by African Americans. There was housing discrimination for the African-Americans (Krause,2001). In 1940, the Selective Service Training Act was enacted that allowed all men aged between 18-36 to join naval and ground army forces without discrimination in the selective process and the training of personnel (Natly, 1989). In theory, this Act looked like an advance to the African American but in reality it was a PR skill to reduce pressure mounting from the black community for equal admissions to the army. A clause in the Act that gave the War Department the final say on who joined the army (Kersten,2002). On December 7th, 1941, America was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor. This lead to increased racism towards the Japanese. They were hauled up and put in detention camps. Some of the Japanese preferred to have their allegiance with America and offered to help (Kersten,2002). The rest did not see the need to help a country that did not support their rights. They formed the No-No boys’ camp. This attack brought a new light to how African-Americans were viewed to the whole of America. A black mess trained navy man, Dorie Miller, took hold of a machine gun and fired at the Japanese until the ammunition ran out as the U.S.S battleship Arizona was under attack. Dorie Miller was awarded a medal for his act of bravery. Black people started being trained as pilots and formed the Tuskegee Airmen. They were sent through Africa, Italy and even Berlin to shoot down enemy fighters (Natly, 1989). Even with all this efforts, there still was discrimination and segregation in America especially toward the African-Americans. The irony to the black people was in fighting for a country that sees them as half citizens. James Thompson wrote a letter in 1942 to the Pittsburg Courier, which was the most read black newspaper (Flynn, 1984). The letter was titled, “Should I Sacrifice to Live Half American." In this letter, he described the feelings of most blacks in the war. Their questions were whether it was too much to demand equal rights for all Americans as they were all fighting for the same country (Kersten,2002). They wondered if their sacrifices would benefit the generations to come and wondered if America would be a true democracy after the war. The response from the newspaper was the start of the Double V campaign (Natly, 1989). Double V campaign aimed at making people think differently about the different races so that all Americans can have equal rights. Double V campaign got its ‘V’ sign from the two finger salute for Victory from Winston Churchill. The Double Victory for the African-Americans was from enemies without (the Germans and general Axis members) and the second victory was from enemies within (Natly, 1989).Those that deter democracy and equal rights for all. In 1945, the double v was replaced by a single V as the World War had ended and the people felt more work was needed back home for their rights than abroad with foreign enemies. The Double V campaign had offered a voice for those protesters against racial discrimination (Krause,2001). When the World War ended, the soldiers came home to find there was still discrimination at home. They could not find jobs that suited what they did in the army as they were reserved for the whites. Most were forced to go back to farming and were faced with high levels of poverty (Krause,2001).Not many African-Americans could access college education even with the formation of the G.I bill that seemed to favor other USA immigrants (Flynn, 1984). The breakthrough in the army came in 1948 when the army was desegregated by President Harry Truman when he signed the executive Order 9381. It allowed integration of both black and white patrols in the army (Natly, 1989). They were both given opportunities and training. Africa –Americans were allowed in active combat. These integrated units proved their worth in the Korean War where they ended the war with high efficiency. It proved to the nation that the black community is not inferior neither is the white one superior but with training and education both can complement each other (Krause,2001). This breakthrough was only in the military. In other aspects like career opportunities and education the racism was still high. The Double V campaign had awakened their fight for equal rights and similar campaigns continued to have the black community to be ‘full’ American citizens (Krause,2001). Racism influenced every aspect of the American society even after the World War 2. No recognition was given to the contribution of the African-American soldiers and they got no rewards once they got back home (Krause,2001). It took a long while for the military to release the name of Dorrie Miller even after he destroyed a Japanese spacecraft. The aftermath of this racism was mainly in the loss of life (Kersten,2002). Many people were killed in the fight for equal rights, time was spent in rallies and demonstration marches in the cities as they fought with policemen. Some people still feel the pain of being unfairly treated in the past and risks of seeking revenge are high causing security threats in the country. There are people who still feel that African-Americans are inferior and as such continuously verbally insult them which leading to conflict between the two communities (Anonymous,2009). With equal training and education, the African-American community would have gained the skills to work equally and this would have led to growth of the economy of America from a long time. It took much time to make people understand that they are equal and start treating each other as such. This is the time that would have been used to develop the country (Anonymous,2009). Racism today in the USA is low. The African-American Community now has produced fine well known doctors, politicians, lawyers, artists and soldiers. The president of the USA is an African-American. Even as it is, there are few cases of racism in employment with majority of the African-Americans still handling odd job and sometimes having to do 2-3 jobs to survive in the country (Krause,2001). Some entertainment spots may be specific to the people who can access it especially golf clubs. Some schools also have a preference to the race their students belong to. This racism is, however, felt by the poor African-American communities who have to live in the projects and their children attend the local public schools whose education levels may be low (Krause,2001). To conclude, racism has existed for a long time. It started when slavery was encouraged as some people viewed themselves superior to others. Racism led to inhumane treatment of the slaves and restriction to the economic, political and intellectual growth of those viewed as inferior (Stanford, 2008). World War two helped the African-American community recognize that they cannot continue to risk their lives for a government that will not treat them well. It began the long journey towards the fighting for their rights so that even the generations to follow can enjoy the benefits of living in America (Stanford, 2008). The Military was the first sector to embrace integration though this was majorly out of necessity. In a war, the color of the person next to you does not matter. The crucial thing is that one can trust they will have your back throughout the war. This and the Double V campaign are accredited as the start of equality in America (Stanford, 2008). References Anonymous. 2009, October 31. African-Americans Soldiers in World War 2 Helped Pave Way for Intergration of US Military. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from Voice of America.: m.voanews.com Flynn, G. Q. (1984). Selective Service and American Blacks During World War 2 . The Journal of Negro History. , 14-25. Kersten, A. E. (2002). African Americans and World War 2. OAH Magazine of History , 13-17. Krause, L. (2001, February 15). Black Soldiers in WW 2: Fighting Enemies at Home and Abroad. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from National Geographic News.: news.nationalgeographic.com Natly, B. C. (1989). Strength for the Fight: A History of Black Americans in the Military. New York: The Free Press. Stanford, K. L. (2008). If We Must Die: African Voices on War and Peace. Lanham: Rowman & Littlfield Publishers. 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