HIST 450 Terms And Concepts 3 Flashcards
Japanese Internment
Forced removal of Japanese Americans to internment camps
most stigmatized group of Americans during WWII.
took away their rights as Americans
showed the racism that Japanese Americans faced
Asiatic Exclusion League
founded by San Francisco Labor Unions, to exclude all Asian races, and discourage immigration.
Gentleman’s Agreement
Roosevelt negotiated, SF School Boards rescinded its order to segregate the few Japanese children into the Oriental School and Japan promised to limit immigration to just immediate family members. Unofficial treaty, caused the Picture Bride influx.
Picture Brides
Japanese women came to America to be married to single Japanese men. Men had only seen them in picures, Numbers of Japanese women in CA went from 500 to 20,000in 20 years. Japanese families were able to grow in America, caused many Californians to see Japanese as sneaky
Heney-Webb Alien Land Law
Heney and Webb drafted the act against aliens ineligible for American citizenship. Aliens ineligible for US citizenship could not own land in the state or lease it for more than three years in CA. All Asian were ineligible for naturalization, people got around it by having the land in their children’s name.
Executive Order 9066
Roosevelt signed, document authorizing the secretary of war to designate special areas/zones for certain peoples to be excluded, military zones. Evacuation of 112,000 Japanese Americans. Cleared the way for the deportation of Japanese americans to internment camps.
Public Law 77-503
Congress passed this law, laid out the statistics for the Japenese American internment camps, and how they could be constructed, which makes it a federal crime for a person ordered to leave a military area to refuse to do so.
Korematsu vs U.S. Army
Frank Korematsu challenged the legitimacy of the internment camps. Supreme court ruled that they were unconstitutional but they were acceptable during war time, this drastically weakened the constitutional rights of all american in wartime by condoning a mass injustice on a group of americans because of their race.
Lt. Gen. John L. Dewitt
The general most responsible for internment of Japanese Americans. In charge of West Coast defense, said there was no way to rest the loyalty of the Japanese, said that since Japanese hadn’t caused any sabotage, they were more likely to at any time. Went back and forth between not interning the Japanese Americans and then doing it.
442nd Combat Regiment
Japanese Americans from the West Coast and Hawaii. All men lead by white officers, became most decorated unit in history of the US Army, suffered over 10,000 caualties. Showed that many Japanese Americans were loyal to their country, showed the devotion to their country–and some of their families were in relocation camps.
Redress Payment
Japanese Americans who had been alive during the internment. Each person still alive given $20,000. It wasn’t much but it was start to addressing the issue.
Port Chicago Mutiny Trial
Most officers had no training in loading ships, learned as they went along, soldiers told there was no risk. On July 17, 1944 there was an explosion and after some men refuresd to continue loading ships. They were taken to trial for mutiny. 50 men found guilty of mutiny, sentenced to 15 years, later reduced–pressure from NAACP and Navy desegregated in 1945
Capt. Nelson Goss
Commander at Port Chicago in Concord who was upset that most of the people under him were Black or Filipino, set high loading goals in short times for soldiers, Racist
Joe Small and his friend Alex ON FINAL
Part of New Deal. Gave works the right to organize and bargain collectively, could no longer be fired for it. Was thrown out.
One of the sailers at Port Chicago, was a natural leader. The ring leader of at the Port of Chicago men who said they wouldn’t go back to work, very calm and collected, kept tensions from exploding.
Zoot Suit Riots
Sleepy Lagoon Murder
In LA because Latinos were wearing zoot suits they were easy to identify, they were all attacked by sailors and servicemen called the Taxi Cab Brigade (ignored by police), after Latinos were attacked, the police would follow and arrest them.
A Mexican American boy murdered, no evidence, but 300 young Latinos were arrested, 23 indicted and 17 convicted, brutal treatment towards them, police lt. explained that violent crime was a Mexican racial characteristic.
Revealed the depths of xenophobia and racism, helped to mobilize the Mexican community.
Henry Leyvas
Was harassed by another gang, went to his gang and told them, the next day the boy (Sleepy Lagoon Murder) was found and it was blamed on his gang, he was arrested and roughed up. Involvement in the Sleepy Lagoon Murder.
38th Street Gang
The gang in east LA Henry Leyvas belonged to. People in the gang were accused of a murder but there was not evidence to hold them. Racial prejudice and discrimination
Jose Diaz
A young man killed in East LA, his body ws found the next morning, basis for the sleepy lagoon murder trial.
Capt. E. Duran Ayres
Head of LAPD, whos said that violence was a racial characteristic of Mexicans because they were descendants of the Aztecs who were violent and cruel
Carey McWilliams
Head of defense committee for the Sleepy Lagoon Murders convicts and a historian who supported the young gang members, ordered a new investigation, eventually 2 years later the convictions were overturned, brought before HUAC accused of being a Communist.
Zoot Suit
?
Taxi Cab Brigade
200 sailors and servicemen, 4 cars across 5 cars deep with men all around went through LA streets beating up anyone in a Zoot Suit, continued the riots for 6 days until the Navy declared LA off limits
Racial Covenants
White neighborhoods made covenants that when you sold your house you wouldn’t sell to a colored family (written into leases) or rent to them (thought that value of neighborhood would drop otherwise), prevented minorities from living in many places.
Rumford Fair Housing Act
Rumsford and CA illegalized racial covenants. Was overturned by Prop 14, then Prop 14 was declared unconstitutional and riots broke out in Watts.
De Jure Segregation
Racial segregation that is required by law.
De Facto Segregation
Segregation that just happens to happen in neighborhoods and schools, cyclical.
Prop. 14
Passed against the Rumford Act which outlawed racial discrimination in real estate, it passed. Was immediately challenged for violating the Civil Rights Act and the 14th amendment.
Watts Riots
Exploded after Prop 14 passed, 34 people were killed in 5 days of fighting, 31/34 people killed were Af-Americans, 40 million dollars in damages, over 4,000 arrested, thousands injured, 600 buildings damaged
Baby Boom
Babies born immediately after WWII-1960s. One American baby born every 7 seconds at the peak in 1957, first five years 45-50 19 million born. Many new buildings built, economy on the rise, people “repopulating” after the war, 48 million consumers born.
Free Speech Movement
Students at Berkley. Series of protests over the control the Univ. had over students, political activities were regulated, sit-ins held. Gave Berkeley its reputation, attracted many radicals, turned into more protesting about the war.
Mario Savio
A student leader who lead civil rights demonstrations at Berkeley, made the famous speech on the “operation of the machine” or”put your bodies upon the gears”, spent time in jail. Free Speech Movement, made very passionate speeches.
Counter-Culter / Hippie Movement
Young people mostly who dropped out of society, instead of trying to change society, they tried to focus on change, within themselves, most had a lot of hatred for the war, nonconformity in America.
People’s Park
Radical Berkeley Students who tried to use a piece of University owned land, University fenced it off , a mob tried to destroy the fence, and there was a riot–people threw rocks and officers fired shotguns, one person was killed, National Guard was sent in and used tear gas. Contributed to the student unrest at Berkeley, very traumatic.
Harvey Milk
First openly gay man to be elected to public office, on SF Board of Supervisors, Assassinated by Dan White, sponsored two important bills, helped defeat the Briggs initiative.
George Moscone
Mayor of San Francisco, liberal
What- Was assassinated in 1978 by Dan White. His trial was thought to be extremely unfair because it was associated with the Harvey Milk.
Dan White
One of the SF Board of Supervisors in 1977-78, Assassinated Milk and Moscone, His trial was thought to be extremely unjust–got only 7 years and served only 5 with parole for murdering two elected officials
“Twinkie Defense”
Dan White, his defense, Defense used by Dan White’s lawyers that he was depressed from eating too much junk food, Not a good defense, changed the way defense could use things to claim mental illness.
