African Americans in World War II Free Essay Sample

World War II started in 1939, mostly formed by European countries, yet the United States joined in 1941 due to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. As the Second World War started, there were no doubts that certain groups were prejudiced by this event, and others had a history of mistreatments. Americans feared the Japanese in America after this event, even if many of them were born in America. Clearly, the most affected group at this time were the Japanese Americans, who certainly shared a lot of similarities with the way the African Americans were treated. African Americans have a history of being oppressed by whites, and although they may have gained their rights of freedom, they aren’t seen as one of them; even if they would give their lives for America, they would still be divided from the rest due to Jim Crow Laws. Despite the fact that both groups are American, African Americans and Japanese Americans both sorrowed from racial discrimination and lack of civil rights in the United States, even if they tried to assimilate into the country. 

During World War II, African Americans faced segregation and discrimination due to Jim Crow Laws. These Laws segregated African Americans from white people by assigning them different facilities. These laws mostly were applied in the South, however, they were also implied in the army. African American militaries had to accommodate in facilities that were separated from white soldiers, and their facilities weren’t adequate or as good as the white facilities. They even had different cars and no recreational facilities such as theaters, those were exclusive for white soldiers. (Document 5) All of this evidence showcases the segregation caused by Jim Crow Laws and how they were even applied to the military. Everyone in the military train and fights for the same cause, to protect America. However, even while serving the country African Americans were still discriminated against. They faced hostility from white soldiers despite fighting the war to bring victory for their own country. The purpose of this document was to exemplify the struggles and segregation the African Americans had to go through even if they were defending their own country. Adding on, Japanese Americans were marginalized as well, they were sent to camps, isolated from everyone else. Due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Americans grew a fear of Japanese spies. Since most of the Japanese population was located in the West, most camps were settled on the West Coast. Therefore, they sent all Japanese that resided in the US to internment camps. By the time the Japanese got to the camps, the camps were not even settled yet. The camps were unsanitary and without many amenities, many of them got sick because of the food. They weren’t granted much freedom, despite the fact that many of the people in the camp were half Japanese, or had Japanese ancestry from many generations ago, they still had to go to the camps. Families stopped eating together for the mere hope of finding better food. Document 4 illustrates the point of view of a Japanese American that was interned in the internment camps. The way the camp is described helps us understand the disparity and frustration many Japanese families had to go through. Many of them lost all their belongings and the future they have been building for years. These two documents help us visualize the racial injustice that both groups had to endure and it helps us assimilate their experiences, despite the fact they didn’t do anything harmful to the country.

Many African Americans had to sacrifice their lives for America while also fighting for their own freedom. During World War 2 African Americans protested for the right to be part of the army and be able to serve their country. A numerous number of African Americans wanted to fight for their country, but they also wanted to fight for their freedom and be considered full American citizens and not be treated as only half American. Due to this discrepancy, many African Americans questioned if it was worth defending their country because nothing would change for them and they would still be discriminated against. Document 2 quotes “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” This quote is very powerful because it showcases the conflict African Americans had to deal with and how they didn’t receive the freedom they deserved. (Document 2) This document uses point of view to showcase the hypocrisy of the US since they fight for supposed democracy while there is no real democracy in the US. Therefore, the ones who were saddened by the US’s contradictions were the minority groups, in this case, African Americans, since they wanted to fight for their own cause while protecting their country. Furthermore, Japanese Americans also suffered from a lack of freedom. Due to the fear of espionage America’s government tried its best to isolate Japanese Americans from America’s society. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the executive order 9066 which authorized the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps. Regardless if they were born in America or not. This order provided them with transportation, food, shelter, and any other accommodations they needed. He also authorized the military to take part in these actions. (Document 3) This document emphasizes the use of significance to clarify the lack of freedom Japanese Americans had to go through because they had to leave all their belongings and properties they own behind. Moreover, they had to undergo segregation since they had to be isolated from the rest of America’s society. Both minority groups were negatively affected by World War 2 and these two documents showcase the lack of freedom they had to face. 

Finally, African Americans had to also go through segregation in order to get a job. Even before World War 2 African Americans always suffered from contact discrimination and had disadvantages to find a job due to their skin color, during World War 2 African Americans were denied jobs in the Army or Government related jobs. Thus, African Americans organized a March in Washington DC to protest Black soldiers' exclusion from World War II defense jobs in the army. This march had also the goal to grab the attention of, at that time president, Franklin D. Roosevelt so he could free the African American citizens from this constant humiliation. (Document 1) This document uses contextualization in order to exhibit the constant struggle African Americans had to face in order to get a job and how this is an ongoing problem that needs to change. No one should be opposed to the right to defend their own country and what they stand for, while also trying to defend their own rights. Moreover, Japanese Americans suffered similar treatment. During this time period, only Japanese citizens that were born in the United States to Japanese parents were allowed to join the military. They helped in numerous ways. For instance, they translated documents and interrogated Japanese soldiers. However, while they were defending the country, the rest of the Japanese Americans were in the internment camps and had their things taken away. (Document 6) This document demonstrates America’s hypocrisy once again by using the audience to showcase how even if Japanese Americans were fighting for the United States, the rest of them had to be isolated from the rest of society. Both of these documents exemplify the ongoing problem that both minority groups had to face and how they were being denied their right to support their country and show they were allies. 

As seen throughout the documents, both African Americans and Japanese Americans suffered discrimination from the US. African Americans had to still encounter Jim Crowism even in the US army regardless if both white and black soldiers were fighting for the same cause which was a supposed democracy. Japanese Americans also faced discrimination by the US government since they were forced to be in internment camps; some Japanese Americans had the opportunity to leave such internment camps by joining the US Army and fighting their own roots. All of this shows the contradictory issue the US had in terms of their democratic policies towards minorities during World War II and even beyond.