The United States and the Holocaust Essay Sample

The holocaust was a difficult time in history, and it affected many people in both Europe and in the United States. Most of the event had happened in Europe, however the United States had to come in and help those who suffered. There are still long-lasting effects of what had happened. The big questions to ask is: How did this happen? If it had been happening for many years, then why did the United States take so long? I will be explaining in my essay the holocaust and the outcomes in relation to U.S History. 

In 1939, the world was forever changing. It all started when Germany’s government went into a dictatorship with having Adolf Hitler as a ruler. He was in charge of the Nazi Party and during the war, Hitler had the idea that Jews were the problem. Most if not all of Europe had an idea of what was going on in Germany. The United States was so focused on the war that they did not know what was going on. The United States did not have too much involvement with what was happening but at the same time should have tried to help sooner. 

In Germany, it was very bad. Jews had to wear yellow stars, their homes were being invaded, families were being separated, the Nazi party was rising, and many more while the war was going on. Another issue was that Jews were being discriminated against and could not get jobs because of their religion.  People were being sent to concentration camps to as a way to slowly get rid of Jews, homosexuals, and foreign prisoners. The main concentration camps were Auschwitz and Dachau. There was not much of a difference to them other than being in a different location. In the camp, the people were referred to as prisoners and had a number tattooed to them. There were no names and only numbers. Days and nights were brutal with running in the snow for hours and eating rations of soup and black coffee for mealtime. It should have been called death camps instead of concentration because very few have survived them. Adolf Hitler’s plan was to get rid of what he thought was the root of the problem when the actual problem was that the war was going on and he needed to provide for his country. The Axis powers were doing poorly in terms of both popularity and having good military defense. Those countries did not understand who they were dealing with and how strong the powers were together. 

World War II was a big turning point in history. Major inventions were being made, both men and women were being put to work, propaganda was being created, and many more. I would think that if there was an invention to hear what is happening on the other side of the world, that the U.S. would figure out what is happening. The war was going on for so long and then by 1944 “the US government created the War Refugee Board, charged with trying to rescue and provide relief for Jews and other minorities who were targeted by the Nazis.”( Taylor). By the time the United States had gotten there, already at least six million Jews were deceased. When the United States had gotten to the concentration camps, they saw prisoners that were sick and starving, evidence of gas chambers, crematoriums, horrendous medical experimentation, and many other awful things. In the book “Night”, it describes all the terrible things that was going on in the camps where guards put a person in a chamber, and everyone saw and knew that that person was not going to make it. The book talks about every detail from the day he was there to the day he found an escape all thanks to the United States. It is a very sad book, but it taught me a lot on this topic and gave me more information than what I have just learned about in school. Thankfully, the United States had come to the rescue before the numbers kept increasing. 

World War II was ending. The allied powers (United States, Great Britain, and Soviet Untion), had won many battles and even the entire war. Even though the allied powers did not contribute much to the holocaust, they had done the best they could to make sure that families are restored to safety. People are still wondering why it took so long for the discovery of concentration camps. Another factor that people have to think about is, the so-called prisoners are forever traumatized with what had happened to them. Some people were told “keep it to yourself” and just want to be silent because it is too scary to remember. A lot of people have moved on and started their new life and may have even moved to the United States. A great effort that the U.S had done was create Jewish organizations to help aid survivors in any way they need. 

In America, there is a holocaust museum to show and tell visitors what had happened to those endangered during that time period. It is very sad to learn that this all happened within 9 years. People cannot change what had happened in the past but make sure nothing like this ever happens again in the future. There are not many survivors that are still around today to tell their side of the story, but it would be very similar to others. I was lucky to read the book “Night” and get a glimpse of what happened at almost every exact moment. 

In conclusion, this was a very difficult time in history. Although most of this was happening in Europe, some Jewish Americans suffered with their families in Germany being tortured. The end result is very shell shocking with not having all the answers and what was going through Adolf Hitler’s mind. The United States did the best they could with dealing with the war and making rescue missions. In the end, the holocaust still remains one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in the world. 

Bibliography 

Lipstadt, Deborah E Holocaust : An American Understanding. Rutgers University Press, 2016. EBSCOhost,search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=nlebk&AN=1250201&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Night, Elie Wiesel. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Adfo Books, 1998.

Taylor, Alan. “World War II: The Holocaust.” The Atlantic, 11 Sept. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/10/world-war-ii-the-holocaust/100170.