notes: japanese americans, african americans, mexican americans, jewish americans
TRANSCRIPT
Notes:
Japanese Americans, African Americans,
Mexican Americans, Jewish Americans
WWII:Big Question: Is there such a thing as a “good” war?
Fearing that Japanese Americans would be disloyal to the US, President Roosevelt ordered all people of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast into internment camps
These camps were located in deserts, and living conditions were harsh
Families were forced to live in flimsy barracks without running water
Despite these injustices, Japanese American men volunteered for military service
The Japanese 442nd Regiment earned more medals than any other army brigade in US History
Japanese Americans
900,000 African Americans served in the military during WWII
They were trained in segregated camps and initially assigned to noncombat jobs
Eventually they were allowed to participate in combat, where units such as the Tuskegee Flyers became known for their skill and courage
At home, 2 million African Americans helped the war effort by working in defense plants
African Americans
Many Mexican Americans served with distinction in the military, some earning the Congressional Medal of Honor.
However, Mexican Americans still faced prejudice in the armed forces and at home
The Bracero Program, designed to increase food production, allowed farmers to hire Mexican workers to pick crops, usually for low wages
Mexican American workers at defense plants moved into areas called barrios
Zoot suiters became targets for attack by white sailors and soldiers in Los Angeles in 1943
Mexican Americans
Jewish Americans were deeply concerned about the anti-Semitism that swept Germany before and during WWII
Refugees, fleeing Hitler’s terrible persecutions, found few countries that would accept them
At first the US refused to increase immigration limits for German Jews
Eventually, FDR established the War Refugee Board, which rescued 200,000 Jews from the Nazis
Jewish servicemen saw firsthand the horrors of the death camps
Jewish Americans