World War II: Racial Discrimination In The US

manpower. It is not that we do not have enough people in this country to do the job. The

As I see in the cartoons, there were race issues going on with blacks and jews being slaved by someone who discriminates against employees. In the I”ll Run Democracy, 1942 picture the man told them to stay in there Jim Crow tanks. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation. The laws let discrimination and segregation keeps blacks and jews from getting jobs. In the other two pictures Listen Maestro and German Manicure you see Uncle Sam telling the war industry to keep making the blacks and whites work together to create a good sound. which came in context when he told him to keep playing them. The German Manicure picture showed Sam going to get his hand cut off by the U.S. Nazis and Anti semitism means they don’t like jews. All of this was going on internally that led to these other issues.

The issues of Japanese-American internment camps is one of the most controversial, yet important time periods of American history. Many have asked: Why should we learn about this event? The event of Japanese-American internment camps has changed the way America and its citizens are looked upon. As Americans, this event is important to learn so that an injustice like this will never happen again in our history. This event has helped many people gain more rights and civil liberties. This event has also helped other groups fight for their rights and freedoms. Although this event had caused fear and pain, it had changed America and its treatment toward citizens of different descents and ethic backgrounds.

American minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, “World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as never before” (Module2). They needed to cooperate on many things, even if they didn’t want to. These minorities mainly refer to African, Asian, and Mexican-Americans. They all suffered much pain as they were treated as if they weren’t even human beings. They were separated, looked down upon,

Throughout history of not only the United States but also the world, racism has played a huge role in the treatment of other humans. A dark mark in United States history, the Japanese Relocation during WWII is a prime example of this racism coming into play. Whether or not this event was necessary or even justified, however, is a constant question for historians even nowadays. The Japanese relocation of the 1920’s unnecessary and unjustified because it’s main causes: selfish economic plots by farmers, unrealistic military measures, and blatant racism.

To be a Japanese immigrant in the early 1900s was difficult but after December 7, 1941 things only got worse. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. “Although conflict had been underway in both Europe and Asia for years, the United States did not formally enter the hostilities until December 8, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously declared the attack on Pearl Harbor ‘a day which we live in infamy’ and asked Congress for a declaration of war” (Wu and Izumi). After the attack on Pearl Harbor “race became increasingly associated with loyalty in the United States” (Harth 254). “What Japan had done was blamed on Japanese Americans” (Wu 2). On February 19, 1942 President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 granted the secretary of war and his commanders the power “to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded” (Executive Order 9066). “Although the text of Executive Order 9066 did not specifically mention Japanese Americans, it was intended to apply to them exclusively” (G. Robinson and G. Robinson 4).

     During this time of crisis in America, the Japanese people in our country were done a huge injustice. They were stripped their constitutional rights, relocated to a location with poor living conditions, and when America apologized it was just too late. The mental and physical health impacts of this event continues to affect tens of thousands of Japanese

Imagine being a part of a minority that was blamed for the disaster that was out of their control, and as a result were forced to leave behind everything. This was a nightmare that became a reality for the Japanese when President Franklin Roosevelt passed the Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which allowed the government authorized the internment of tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and resident aliens from Japan. Over 120,000 innocent citizens of California, Arizona, and Oregon faced unjust and unconstitutional treatments by their own government, who was supposed to protect citizen’s rights but made the Japanese feel the complete opposite. The internment camps impacted the Japanese-American citizens tremendously in the areas of finances, social status, and physiological well-being.

Sinclair was involved in political activities. During the Great Depression Sinclair escalated his political activities (“Upton Sinclair biography”, n.d.). Sinclair organized the EPIC movement (“Upton Sinclair biography”, n.d.). EPIC stands for End Poverty IN California (“Upton Sinclair biography”, n.d.). It was a program that was a base for Sinclair’s run as the Democratic Party’s candidate for governor of California (“Upton Sinclair biography”, n.d.). Sinclair was defeated, taking 37 percent of the vote with three candidates in the race (“Upton Sinclair biography”,

This was only the beginning of our stroll down the path of the Third Reich. In the early months of 1942 Japanese Americans were forbidden to server in California's civil service. As well, all German, Italian, and Japanese aliens were ordered to leave San Francisco Waterfront areas. Soon laws were passed in which the US Army began restricting

The goal of this movement was to build a new society that ended mass poverty through peaceful and orderly methods. Sinclair believed that his approach was not radical, but based in the American values of self-reliance,initiative, and equality. The End Poverty in California Movement formed the basis for Sinclair's campaign for Governor of California in 1934 and the plan called for a massive public works program, sweeping tax reform, and guaranteed pensions. The plan gained major support with, with thousands joining End Poverty Leagues across the state. EPIC never came to fruition due to Sinclair's defeat in the 1934 election. The plan called for state seizure of idle factories and farm land where the owner had failed to pay property taxes.

Imagine being trapped within a society that has no diversity and you are locked out from the real world. That is exactly what the government did to these innocent people. The innocent ones who are looked at as if they had done something wrong. The ones who are looked upon as criminals. The “luxurious” imprisonment enclosed the many innocent Japanese-Americans also known as the Japanese Internment. In 1891 Japanese immigrants arrived in the U.S. to work as agricultural laborers. December 7,1941 Japan bombed U.S. ships and planes at the pearl harbor military base in Hawaii. What caused it? The Executive Order 9066. Was the exclusion of Japanese-Americans, during World War two right or wrong? The Japanese-Internment was

The Japanese-American placement in internment camps was wrong and unconstitutional. The Japanese-American people had been living in the United States without question until the uprise of racial prejudice brought on by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Many Japanese-Americans had been born in America and lived an American life, integrated into American schools, speaking with American accents, and enjoying American culture. But, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Japanese were suddenly seen as threats that needed to be controlled. Without any consent, these Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps with poor conditions and treated as if they were ticking time bombs themselves.

The United States was a divided nation at the time of World War II. Divided by race and racism. This Division had been much greater in the past with the institution of slavery. As the years went by the those beliefs did deteriorate slowly, but they were still present during the years of World War II. This division was lived out in two forms, legislation and social behavior. The legislation came in the form of the “Jim Crow” laws. The belief that some people were naturally superior and others inferior, scientific racism, was the accepted belief of the time These cultural traits were waning. After World War II ended they would decline even more rapidly.

The history of United State has shown many racial discriminations since colonists arrived America. African Americans have suffered unequal treatments and punishments in comparison to white people and European immigrants. Even when slavery was abolished in 1865, African Americans were still victims of many inequalities like employment, rights, housing, and transportation. However, due to these inequalities and mistreatments like the Jim Crow Laws, many African Americans started to make a change during the 1950’s, also called the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks, that was arrested for sitting in the front of a bus in Alabama. Rosa Parks case made the supreme court to ban segregation in public transportation. The social difference during the 1950’s was very notable and obvious, and voting was a big example of the huge discrimination suffered by African Americans and minorities. In the south, white people would take away minorities’ right to vote by making them take a test that would decide if they were or not capable to make a political decision. Fortunately, big characters like Martin Luther King vouched for the end of this inequalities. Martin Luther King played a big role in the 1960’s making everyone aware about the change that was about to come.