The Home Front & Discrimination During WWII What was the struggle for civil rights during World War II?

Positive Changes War gets America out of the depression, unemployment 1.2% Women empowered by helping in the war effort GI Bill of Rights, 1944 help for veterans a) provided ed. & training b) easy to get home & business loans

African-Americans African American families moved to North & Midwest for good war industry jobs (Af-Ams skilled jobs increase 16 to 30%) Unfortunately, many whites resented blacks moving into their neighborhoods – fights over housing & jobs 1943: Detroit Race Riots, starts as small brawl between teens turns into 3 day riot: 34 killed, 433 wounded, $2M damage James Farmer forms CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) to address civil rights issues in 1940s

Zoot Suit Riot: Summer of 1943 Tensions rise between Navy Sailors & Mexican-American youth in Los Angeles 11 Navy sailors claim they were attacked by “zoot-suiters” Nearby soldiers at Chavez Ravine pour into Downtown LA For an entire week, youths were beaten and stripped of their clothes, LAPD does little

Internment of Japanese-Americans Jan 1942: evacuation of Hawaii’s Japanese pop. was ordered Feb 1942: FDR signs Exec. Order 9066 that relocates people of Japanese ancestry living in WA, OR, NV & CA 10K were shipped to prison camp sites for “security” reasons, most were American citizens (but no Germans and few Italians) Japanese-Ams take case to Sup. Court in Korematsu v. United States, court rules US policy is justified “military necessity”

Korematsu v. United States (1944) - page 596-597 1. What did President Roosevelt base Executive Order 9066 on? 2. What powers did Military Authorities now have? 3. What did Fred Korematsu do and what did he argue to the US Supreme Court? 4. What did Justice Black rule in the majority? What did Justice Murphy state in his dissent? 5. Give examples of how this decision was clearly based on racism. How was it later an embarrassment for the US?