Minorities and WWII

African Americans in WWII Served in every theater of war 1941- 4,000 enlisted 1945- 1.2 million enlisted Segregation Segregated practices of civilian life spilled over into military service Many were passed over in the draft (despite their desire to serve) Those that were enlisted served in non-combat roles (maintenance, transportation, supply, etc) By 1945, troop losses forced the army to allow Af. Americans into other positions (pilots, tankers, infantry men, etc) The Tuskegee Airmen Famous African American bomber division that flew more than 15,000 missions over Southern Italy from 1943-45 Fighting for a Double Victory Victory abroad, and expanded rights at home

Mexican Americans in WWII Bracero Program- 1942 Temporary work program that imported workers from Mexico and Puerto Rico to meet labor shortages Mainly agricultural, but also some industrial jobs Substandard conditions- “box car camps”- limited access to services or contact with the native population Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles- 1943 Zoot suits A conflict between white and Mexican men erupted into widespread rioting At the end of the war and the return of the workforce, many were required to return to Mexico

Native Americans in WWII Over 44,000 Native Americans served in the military out of a total population of only 350,000 Navajo Code Talkers Early in 1942 the idea of creating a wartime military code around the Navajo language was presented Navajo is unwritten and incredibly complex Initial 29 Navajo were trained in California where they developed and memorized the code After training they were sent with a Marine unit into the Pacific ~400 Navajos would serve as code talkers The code was never broken

Japanese Americans Just over 100,000 Japanese lived in the US, almost all on the West Coast After Pearl Harbor, nation began to question where their loyalties lay Feb. 19, 1942- All people of Japanese ancestry (both citizens and aliens) were required to leave the West Coast Heavy financial losses as families sold possessions and businesses to relocate FDR created the War Relocation Authority- 10 internment camps across the West Minimum security prisons- barbed wire and crowded barracks Many Japanese men escaped the internment camps by enlisting 442nd Regimental Combat Team- most decorated military unit in WWII

Visions of the Internment Camps Watch this film distributed by the War Relocation Authority https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Ou9BTD9O_TI Complete Motion Picture Analysis Sheet Read and analyze documents and pictures in packet.