World War II was a period of time where many social aspects in the United States undertook a drastic change. Minority groups such as women and African Americans were given the opportunity to progress in their societal stature during the war, as all support and help was required to defeat the Axis powers. As the United States was fighting Nazi racism, its own prejudices regarding the race of foreigners was exposed. People did not understand why minorities would fight “a white man’s war” in a country that did not allow them to become citizens, or have the same rights as a person born on American soil. But, these minorities fought anyway and they received opportunities that would have never arose if the war had not occurred, and many Americans …show more content…
Women who remained in the United States generally went to work at factories, or portions of the industrial sector. Because skirts and dresses could not be worn, as they could lead to injuries in factories, pants were adopted for hardworking activities. Change in dress style was a symbolic development of the advancement that women went through during the war, as it depicted women turning into actual workers. Other women were also beginning to be enlisted into the army. Before World War II, women were only allowed to participate in the Nurse Corps for the Army as well as the Navy. However, during the war many women were actively recruited to volunteer in the military, even though many of their tasks were stereotypical feminine jobs such as manufacturing clothes. To facilitate recruitment and ensure that all types of jobs in the military were filled, many movements were created to try and convince people to incorporate women into other positions, but many men …show more content…
The military began to allow blacks to join, which allowed them to escape economic depression as well as farming in regions such as the South and the Midwest. But, despite this grand opportunity, throughout the 1940’s there was still segregation present throughout the United States. There were individual black regiments that had white commanders, and each sector was trained separately from other white soldiers. To begin with, just like the women many military services, such as the Navy, gave blacks the worst jobs to perform on their ships and the Marines did not even accept them due to their skin color. Even on the mainland, many companies refused to let blacks work in factories as many were run by racist labor unions. Many white workers even went on strike to prevent the hiring of black workers, as people claimed to feel “unsafe” and said that the black man did not deserve to work the same jobs as the white man. But as time progressed, skin color did not begin to matter as the whole country was being targeted by enemy forces and all armed forces were needed to repel attacking armies. Discrimination between the two races began breaking down when the 1940 Selective Service Act was put into place, allowing blacks to join branches such as the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. Eventually they were allowed into leadership positions, and claimed many victories being the most
While most African Americans serving toward the start of WWII were appointed to non-battle units and consigned to administration obligations,
African American women suffered both racial and gender discrimination, so they had to fight very hard even to enter skilled spots on the production line in aircraft, shipyard work, and other well paying war industries.The difficulty for black women entering skilled production areas, retail and other service work, or transportation jobs during the 1940s their continuing dominance of the private market for
At the start of World War II the American people had a sense of unity. Men chose to leave their jobs and families to join the front line, while women, for the first time, were leaving the home and taking over those jobs that their husbands left behind. In 1943, many magazines chose to paint a picture of women hard at work. These articles focused their stories on working women, and glamorized the untraditional jobs they held. They thought perhaps, that if they made these smaller, hard working jobs exciting, and noble, that more women would begin to join the work force. For this reason, the media created a fake working woman named Rosie the Riveter, and she was illustrated as a hero for American women. These efforts to pull
Many people have never considered what women were doing in WWII when their husbands left to fight. Their lives weren’t easy or normal during the war. Women had to work just as hard as men, sometimes even more so. In this essay, I will discuss the position of American women before World War II, during the war, and at the end of the war.
The start of World War II affected many Americans, though it impacted minority groups differently than others, which changed how women and African Americans were viewed after the war. Before World War II, women and African Americans were both seen as minority groups, which would soon change, but wouldn’t be forgotten, due to the war. Though women and African Americans still weren’t seen as anything other than minorities, though women were seen in a slightly better regard, at the end of WWII. Since it will take some time for Americans prejudice to change. The shift in perspective would end up changing how women and African Americans are seen in the future due to impacts caused by WWII. World
American minorities made up a significant amount of America’s population in the 1920s and 1930s, estimated to be around 11.9 million people, according to . However, even with all those people, there still was harsh segregation going on. Caucasians made African-Americans work for them as slaves, farmers, babysitters, and many other things in that line. Then when World War II came, “World War II required the reunification and mobilization of Americans as never before” (Module2). They needed to cooperate on many things, even if they didn’t want to. These minorities mainly refer to African, Asian, and Mexican-Americans. They all suffered much pain as they were treated as if they weren’t even human beings. They were separated, looked down upon,
During World War II many minority groups thought that if they were to participate in the war and defend the country that they would gain more respect or get a higher class status in society, although they thought wrong instead they were sort of obligated to defend the country in war without thinking they were going to get any reward in return. African Americans were one of the few minority groups that hoped to win a better position in postwar society. But in the end they were very disappointed. Many blacks were migrated from rural areas into industrial cities which was great for the economy but not really for the blacks because it created tensions among blacks and whites. In the military blacks had the most menial assignments, and there were segregated training camps and units for the blacks. Not only were blacks affected by the war but also Native Americans. There was very little war work that was available for the tribes. Some young people left the reservations causing the number of people in tribes decrease. This caused many Indians to come in close contact with white people, which opened up their eyes to the benefits they would receive if they left the reservations and lived in a non-Indian world and adjust to American society. But soon after the war there were fewer jobs available for them so they returned back to their reservations. Then there were many pressures to eliminate the reservations for good, which would require tribes to reassign themselves and adjust to
War II. About 70% of women who served in military WWII held traditionally female jobs. After the men had
World War II is an event that has marked history like no other. Originating from a European struggle, war broke out in 1939 and continued for six years. From the years 1939 through 1945 more than half the earth's surface was battling in war. American society was greatly affected. People of every age, race and class were deeply affected. Women's place in society took a leap forward like it never had before. As an effect of the second world war women's traditional roles in society were drastically altered.
World War II was the catalyst that changed the opportunities available to women and eventually the way they were regarded as a viable workforce. Suddenly women throughout the United States were pushing themselves to their limits to support the war effort. Women were fulfilling jobs and responsibilities that many previously believed to be impossible for their gender. Opportunities were opened in steel plants, ammunition factories, and even the United States military. As the war progressed the number of male workers declined dramatically. Society had no choice but to turn to the mothers, sisters, and daughters of our nation for help. The results for each woman varied
Women served an important role in WWII. They not only took the challenge and stepped up to take the places of the men off fighting in the war to work in factories, but they also fought side by side with those risking their lives and fighting for their country. They were needed everywhere during the war. There were an unbelievable amount of job opportunities for women during the war and many supported the brave acts of voluntary enlistment. “‘A woman’s place is in the home’ was an old adage, but it still held true at the start of World War II. Even though millions of women worked, home and family we considered the focus of their lives” says Brenda Ralf Lewis. Without the help of those women who were brave enough to
I feel that the group of people who were most affected by the impact of ww2 were Black Americans. Before the war Black Americans were extremely mistreated; they were unfairly segregated, discriminated
“Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God.”(Bowen). World War II was a start to a new beginning of what America has become from the impact of the war. Chaos across countries brought hope to America, in the sense that the people of America are coming together in a situation of multiple countries fighting. World War Two brought many positive impacts to the lives of women, the economy, and the lives of African Americans.
White Americans living in the post segregation era believed that African Americans were lower on the social order and did not deserve to share equality under the law; equality could be shared with one group and not the other. This type of reasoning is what lead to mass discrimination within the job market and dispersal of federal aid (Franklin 64). According to Franklin, millions of African Americans were turned away from receiving aid during the New Deal. Policy makers created distinctions between who would be regarded as equals and who would not. Equality was for White-Americans and there was not enough equality to go around for the Negros. For example, The Federal Government gave large industries contracts during World War Two, after receiving the contract from the Federal Government, the industries would then openly state that they did not practice equal employment. The committee that oversaw fair employment did not have enough power or government support to enforce the fair employment rules. Secondly, World War Two was a war for racial freedom overseas and America could not even deal with the race war going on within its own back yard (Franklin 89). The military was still segregated and
December 7, 1941 was the day when America declared war, but it was also the years following that women had the chance to show their patriotism in a way they never had before; working outside of their homes. World War II was a chance to contribute to what was needed most, the war efforts. In a dire situation that is War, women moved from their homes help the America for the better of society and their husbands off at war.