The impact of WW2 and the experience of black soldiers

Question 1

Topic sentence

Answer 1

Other historians would argue that the most important reason for the development of the civil rights movement was the impact of WW2 and the experience of Black soldiers.

Question 2

Evidence 1

Answer 2

During WW2, black servicemen fighting abroad in Europe experienced more freedoms than they had ever had in America. This led to black soldiers, sailors and airmen to support the ‘Double V’ campaign which campaigned for victory abroad in the war and victory at home for black civil rights.

Question 3

Analysis 1

Answer 3

This led to the growth of the civil rights movement because the efforts of the Black servicemen in the Double V campaign sparked the making of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1942 which was a major organisation who fought for black civil rights .

Question 4

Evidence 2

Answer 4

Additionally, many people credit A. Philip Randolph for highlighting problems that Black Americans faced in WW2. In 1941 Randolph met with president Roosevelt with three demands, an end to segregation and discrimination in the federal government jobs, an end to segregation of the armed forces and government support for an end to discrimination in all jobs in the US.

Question 5

Analysis 2

Answer 5

This led to the growth of the civil rights movement because it led Roosevelt to issue Executive order 8802 which stated that there would be no discrimination in the employment, of workers in defence industries and in government on the basis of race, colour or religion.

Question 6

Counter analysis

Answer 6

However, when Black Americans returned home from the war in 1945 they were met with a white backlash as competition for jobs and housing increased, which led to riots in 25 US cities. This white resentment meant that it was hard for progress in black civil rights to be made.

Question 7

Evaluation

Answer 7

To evaluate, WW2 was a crucial reason for the growth of the civil rights movement as historian Hugh Brogan argued that “wartime service made Black Americans more conscious of their strength, and the need for united action”. It was this increased solidarity that resulted in an increased membership of organisations such as the NAACP which saw their membership grow to 450 000 by the end of WW2 which proves that the experience of WW2 was more i premature than black organisations when explaining the growth of the civil rights movement.