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American Perceptions Of Japanese Americans During World War II

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The six year war, World War II was started by Adolf Hitler and his invasion of Poland in 1939. (History) This invasion was the driving point for Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany. In 1945, the catastrophic World War II was defeated and the end of Nazi Germany. World War II is the most globally known and deadliest wars in history. Having 30 plus countries involved and an estimated 85 million deaths among military and civilians life’s according to History.com. Since, World War II was a battle against the races there was a lot of discrimination, prejudice, and preconceptions about race. Corresponding to Adolf Hitler and his Nazis killings millions of Jews, because he felt like Jews made impact on Germany going into bankruptcy …show more content…

In this thought Japan assumed America would want to go to war with Japan over the conquest of the West Indies. The attack on Pearl Harbor was proposed to slow down America’s advanced naval bases. The attack began when planes of Japanese fighters attacked the American naval base near Honolulu Hawaii (History). After, more than 2,000 man dead and major battleships destroyed President Roosevelt declared war on Japan which brought America into World War II. After, the declaration of war and bombing to keep the American people unfearful, anti-Japanese propaganda was displayed through America. Propaganda was used to alter Americans social perceptions with crude drawing of stereotypical Japanese qualities. To also change American perception on Japanese people was fear based showing Japanese soldiers as menace and threating. With some pictures showing Japanese soldiers with knifes threating women. Making the American people scared and anger to rally the nation together (University of Missouri). Hannah Miles writes an articles called The Influence of Racism and says besides from the fear based campaigns, the visual elements were crucial in this posters depicting stereotypes like slanted eyes, facial resembles of monkeys, and a unhuman almost monster like quality, when depicting Japanese people. In this depiction it detached the human relation between the …show more content…

Africans Americans supported American with over 2.5 million black men serving according to Clarence Taylor who wrote the article Patriotism Crosses the Color Line: African Americans in World War II. Taylor also states that black women also came to defend their nation with the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). These women were called the “ten percenters” due to the fact that they made up percent of women recruiters. Even though Black men and women risked their lives in the war they still were treated as lesser equals and discriminated against. African Americans lived in separate living quarters, separate tables at mess halls and received separate training (Glider Lehman). Throughout the World War II blacks were outspoken about the treatment of racial dealing at home and in the war. Taylor mentions that blacks saw similarities from the treatment of Jews in Germany and their rough treatment in America. The Pittsburgh Courier the nation’s largest black newspaper launched it double V campaign which showed two “V’s” interlocking demonstrating “Victory at home” and “Victory Abroad” to encourage blacks to support the war but also fight civil rights in America (Glider Lehman). Several black artistes started acknowledging the mistreatment in America like Langston Hughes who famously wrote “Nazi and Dixie Nordics” which compares black America to Jewish

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