Friday, March 12, 2010

Racial divisions during World War ll?

What were were some American racial divisions during World War ll?
Racial divisions during World War ll?
the tuskegee airmen- these brave pilots were not allowed to fly airplanes with the white folks so they were put on another airbase and even thought they were highly qualified pilots and mechanics on other bases they were regarded as "trainees"
Racial divisions during World War ll?
Segregation was rampant at the time.


People of Japanese descent were sent to internment camps in the US.


Oddly enough, both blacks and Japanese had their own military units to fight in the war, the reason they were given was to fight the bigotry that was taking over Europe.
Reply:You name the group:


Someone already mentioned both African-Americans and Japanese-Americans, add to that Italian and German Americans, mix up Mexican-Americans, migrant labor-especially important at this time, add in Filipino-Americans, Chinese-Americans, and others I may have missed.
Reply:This is an interesting question.





During World War II, African American soldiers had their own divisions, mess halls, barracks and bars; African American soldiers were limited in what jobs they could do in the army. A great many served as prison guards for prisoners of war; they were not allowed to serve in the infantry or in the paratroops. General Patton thought African Americans had slower reflexes and didn't want them to serve as tankers until late 1944. You can read all about this here:


http://worldwar2history.info/Army/Jim-Cr...





There were also race riots right on the home front, notably Detroit in 1943. There had already been rioting in other cities. Here's an article on Detroit:


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peo...





And there were riots involving Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles; it was known as the Zoot Suit Riots (not just a song!)


http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/zoot/





Finally, Native American society changed considerably as a result of the war. A large number of Native Americans left the reservations for the first time to find work in the war industries, and about 4400 signed on for active duty in the military and not all of them were code-talkers. This is a rather scholarly article on the subject:


http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/NAWWII.html
Reply:When they came to England, the Americans tried to designate pubs as white-only and black-only. The landlord of my grandfather's local would have none of it.
Reply:If you mean what were some racial (like white vs black) then i can give ya a example story that might have more to it.





In 1944, in Port Chicago, California, ammunition was being loaded onto ships for the pacific war. Black sailors were kept on ships and in terrible conditions. Their white supperiors wanted them no where near the other crew.





One morning a explosion rips through the port destroying at least two ships and severly damaging the port.





The blame was put on bad handling of ammunition (and im sure some on the black sailors)





Tired of the slavery type conditions, the black sailors mutinied. When work resumed in the port, 50 men refused to return to work and were cour martialed.





All were senetenced to prison terms.





only 3 would live to see in 2000 when Bill Clinton gave the men all pardons for their actions.





There was a movie based on this story several years ago "Mutiny"











the side story is that there is wonder if the explosion was a test of a atomic bomb during a planning idea to deliver it by ship to japan (airplens were thought unable to carry the huge bombs.)
Reply:In 'America's women' Gail Collins writes:





'It was not until 1944, under heavy pressure from Eleanor Roosevelt, that black women were welcomed into the military. The WAC eventually enlisted 4,000 black recruits. Despite its grave shortage of nurses, the army was reluctant to take black RNs - particularly if they would be treating white soldiers. the corps eventually took 500 and then enraged the black community by assinging some of them to work in prisoner-of-war camps.





The military's policy - articulated as seldom as possible - was to give the black women seperate but equal accomidations. Major Harriet West, the highest-ranking black in the WAC, felt that the African American women in the army could have borne the segregation better if people had not insisted on rubbing her soldiers' faces in their status. A black journalist travelling with Major West to Fort McClellen in Alabama reported that they were required to travel in "a dirty segregated coach." where Major West was insulted by a white conductor "whom she had asked to hand her baggage from the train." At Ford Devens, black women were assigned to work as orderlies, scrubbing floors and windows. When they complained to the commander of the hospital, he said that they were there to do the dirty work. Nearly sixty black WACs refused to report to work in protest, and though most were persuaded to give up rather quickly, four continued their work stoppage and were court-martialed and sentenced to a year of hard labour. The resultant outcry forced teh War Department to reverse the verdict, reinstate the WACs and transfer them to a new post.'


No comments:

Post a Comment

 


Allyn © 2008. Design by: Pocket Web Hosting