Section 1: What impact did the Second World War have on African Americans Flashcards
1
Q
How did the changes to the military in WW2 help the campaign for civil rights?
A
- black organisations pressed hard for equality within the armed services viewing the military as a key institution in american life
- the armed services was a direct arm of government and a direct expression of the people personifying the democratic values for which the US fought
- ending racial discrimination in the armed forces would have a powerful effect on civil society
- if blacks made an equal contribution to the war effort, their claim to full citizenship would be much stronger
2
Q
What evidence is there to suggest the changes to the military in WW2 helped the campaign for civil rights?
A
- before the war the lowly status of black soldiers, argued the generals reflected “the position attained by the negro in civilian life”
- in June 1948 truman signed the executive order 9981 guaranteeing ‘equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, colour, religion and national origins
- in reaction to black agitation over unfair treatment roosevelt enunciated a policy of nondiscrimination
- 1940 a balnced force policy was enforced ensuing that the number of black soldiers reflected the proportion of blacks in the overall population, 10%
- appointment of Benjamin O Davis to the rank of brigadier general - the highest ranking black officer
3
Q
What was the experience of black soldier in Europe?
A
- segregated canteens and vehicles for transport to battlefields
- denied the right to fight, many worked as cooks and cleaners
- worse training and equipment
4
Q
How did the experience of black soldiers in Europe help the civil rights campaign?
A
- radicalised blacks
5
Q
What evidence is there to suggest the experience of black soldiers in Europe helped the campaign for Civil RIghts?
A
- black soldiers experienced European society during their stays in Britain and France where there was no formal segregation and white people treated black soldiers as heroes
6
Q
What was the experience of black heroes in the war?
A
- Over 1.2 million black men joined the US army in WW2
- northern blacks were trained in southern military camps which was their first experince of foramlised racial segregation
7
Q
How did the experience of black heroes help the campaign for Civil Rights?
A
- apalled that they would be fighting for their country yet their country treated them as second class citizens
- greater sense of self worth/ self-esteem gave them courage to figth for their rights
- radicalised
- the courages of black fighting in WW2 changed the attitudes of many white soldiers
8
Q
What evidence is there to suggest the experience of black heroes helped the campaign for Civil Rights?
A
- Some black soldiers rioted in protest at their treatment in the war
- demobilised soldiers were given government aid for college education, so Black southerners attended colleges in record numbers
- an ex-corporal from Alabama said “I went into the army a nigger; I’m comin’ out a man”
- boosted self-esteem e.g. Woodrow Crockett first black pilot in american air force, in the last year of the war he flew 149 missions protecting european harbours from attack and not a single plane in the black squadron was shot down thus following the war black heroes expected recognition for their achievements and were determined to challenge racial injustice.
9
Q
What did the ‘Double V’ mean?
A
- black soldiers were struck by the contradiction fighting abroad for the four freedoms, (freedom of speeach, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear)that were promoted by president roosevelt to encourage support for the national effort for a just cause, while they could not enjoy these four freedoms at home
- the double v meant that they were fighting for two victories: victory overseas and victory over racism at home
- opportunity for black people to press their claim to equal citizenship
- the struggle to preserve deomcracy must be linked with the struggle to extend it “we must overthrow hitlerism within as well as Hittlerism without”
10
Q
What was the ‘Race War’?
A
- US and her allies were fighting a racist opponent
- hitler and the nazis believed in a master race and the right to enslave lesser races
11
Q
How did the ‘race war’ help the campaign for civil rights?
A
- in the past the kkk presented racism as natural and noble however, the racist atrocities carried out by the Nazis showed the dangers inherent in racism and in so doing convinced many people that racism should be opposed in all circumstances
- Eric foner “WW2 reshaped Americans understanding of themselves as a people…what set the united states apart from its wartime foes was the resolve that americans of all races could enjoy freedoms equally”
- Dr. Stephen Truck believed that WW2 was “absolutely key” in bringing about change in the black situation.
- rededicated america to the ideal of democracy and extended that ideal to people of all races, colors, religions and national origins
- discredited the ideology of racism
- the government attacking the ‘master race ‘ ideology defined american democracy as assimilationist, inclusive, and tolerant
- Historian Thomas Doherty “in official government posters and proclamations ‘americans all’ closed ranks’
12
Q
What evidence is there to suggest that the ‘Race War’ helped the campaign for Civil RIghts?
A
- the full horrof of what this meant was uncovered in the final phase of the war when allied soldiers liberated nazi extermination camps in eastern europe
- war lead to the founding of the United Nations with its commitment to human rights for all.
- the war gave way to the cold war in which the US championed the ‘Free world’
13
Q
What economic changes were there in WW2?
A
- many farm workers in the south moved to southern cities in order to get jobs in the new war industries
- wartime boom increased black migration from south to north e.g. 1940 1/4 of american blacks lived in north by 1950 1/3 of black americans lived in the north
- 48% black population was urban
- northern blacks were concntrated in industrial cities forming significnt minorities of the population in philidelphia detroit chicago and new york
- aproximately 500,000 african americans migrated to the north in search of better conditions and found work in industrial cities
14
Q
How far did the Economic changes in the war help the campaign for Civil Rights?
A
- Foner observes that the war created a vast ‘Melting pot’
- economic changes allowed black to play a major role in the country’s war effort
- changed the way in which black people lived
- jobs in the cities were paid more than jobs in the country so many african americans were better paid
- the campaigning of activists such as A Philip Randolph showed that putting pressure on the government could force politicians to act in favour of racial equality
- however, black industrial workers in the north were unlikely to be paid the same as their white colleagues
- white workers objected when blacks were promoted e.g. the detroit riots 1943
- african americans still more likely to be unemployed e.g 6% of new yorks white men unemplyed in comparison with 10% of black men
15
Q
What evidence is there to suggest that economic changes in the war helped the campaign for civil rights?
A
- in the south $4.5 billion was spent creating factories producing war goods
- black activist A Philip Randolph threatened to lead a march of african americans to washington unless the government forced booming war industries to get rid of colour ban
- in response 1941 roosevelt issued an executive order creating the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC)
- industries emplyed in the war effort were forced not to discriminate on the grounds of race, creed. colour or national origin
- there was a threefold rise in the black college population of the northern states
- the number of unemployed African Americans fell sharply from 937,000 in 1940 to 151,000 in 1945
