Chapter four of Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II written by Ronald Takaki describes the struggles of Native Americans before World War II and during the war. On the homefront Native Americans were treated poorly, but gradually white Americans began to tolerate them more as time went on. When they first arrived on the reservations after the Long Walk, they felt ashamed and were treated as if they were scum. They were losing their land to foreigners. Yet as time went on, the living situation on the reservation began to improve. For example, schools were improving, white people were training to be traders and farmers, and their rights were respected by the government. As the war, went on, Native Americans started …show more content…
The first V in victory was obvious because they defeated the Germans and the Japanese and helped the United States win the war. But the reason they were successful with the second V in victory was because “Whites believed that World War II had completed the process of Indian integration into mainstream American society” (Morgan). Before the war, Native Americans were not treated very equally and they were not treated wonderfully after the war either. For example, “In yet another of the rude and arbitrary reversals that long have afflicted the government’s relations with Native Americans, Eisenhower also sought to cancel the tribal preservation policies of the “Indian New Deal,” in place since 1934. He proposed to ‘terminate’ the tribes as legal entities and to revert to the assimilationist goals of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887” (Kennedy 896). This shows that there were still attempts to discriminate Native Americans, but the bill was eventually shut down in 1961. The reason they achieved “Double Victory” was because they help the white Americans win the war and because “the war caused the greatest change in Indian life since the beginning of the reservation era and taught Native Americans they could aspire to walk successfully in two worlds” (Morgan). Of the Four Freedoms, the one Native Americans accomplished was the Freedom from Want because they were given a stronger economic base. Before the war, money was a hard product to find for Native Americans because “The federal government's stock reduction program had made the Navajos dependent on wage income: nearly 40 percent of their annual per capita income of $128 came from wages, mostly from temporary government employment” (Takaki 66-67). This shows that Native Americans had a tough time
In the United States World War II has been one of the most remembered wars of all time. Acclaimed historian Ronald Takaki asserts that for many Americans, World War II was fought for a “double victory”: on the battlefront as well as on the home front. Takaki’s book Double Victory: A Multicultural History of America in World War II reminds the audience that there was much, much more happening at home and on the frontlines during World War II than in the battlefield. Takaki presents a strong central argument; it illuminates the incongruity of America's own oppressive behavior toward minorities at home, even while proclaiming the role in World War II as a fight against oppression abroad. It also pays tribute to the determination and perseverance of ethnically diverse Americans in their two-front war against prejudice and fascism. In addition Takaki tells the story through the lives of ethnically diverse Americans: Japanese Americans who felt betrayed by their own country when families were sent to internment camps; For African Americans, the war for freedom had to be fought in their country’s own backyard; a Navajo code talker who uses his complex native language to transmit secret battle messages and confound the Japanese, while his people are living in desperate poverty on a government reservation. Their dual struggle to defeat the enemy abroad and overcome racism at home gives the Double Victory its title and its texture.
In the past 100 years we've experienced two World Wars, but none as horrifying and frightening as World War II. This war started in 1939 and ended in 1945. This act became the most annihilating and protracting encompassing battle to go down in history. This event made a gigantic impact on the direction that was taken by the social relations between Jews and other nations. But we already know this, we've heard all the stories, we know who were the Nazis and what they did, but we don't know the story of the Native Americans that were part of it, we don't know that they were as much help as Code Talkers as the others fighting.
World War II was a war for democracy that brought the nation out of the Great Depression, but it was also a war that exposed the dark side of Americans, which made them resemble their enemies. This is evidenced by the American decision to use the atomic bomb to cause the destruction described by Hersey, and Churchill and Kennan’s portrayal of the Russians as “other.” Ngai discusses the challenges Mexican and Japanese immigrants faced at the time, and the inherent racism behind these challenges. Around the mid-twentieth century, America started importing braceros, \ to satisfy labor demands, and to limit wetbacks. Many joined the bracero program because it offered high wages, but broke their contracts when they faced mistreatment and illegal
In the mist of the countries involvement in one of the most grueling wars in history new barriers were broken to make room for an equal America. Although true equality was not reached, these short four years would lead to the turning point in American acceptance toward diversity, both in and out of the work place. The movement of thousands of men overseas create a substantial gap in the work place, creating a never before seen chance for women, Blacks, and immigrants to flood the many war based jobs. At the same time, the Japanese faced radical discrimination for the events in which provoked the United States entry in to the War. In the years incasing WWII opportunity opened to those who had been affected hardest but
Double Victory: Multicultural History of America in World War 11”, is a book written by Ronald Takaki was published in the early 2000s. Double Victory shows the wartime responses from many ethnic backgrounds as well as the war at home against racism and the war abroad against fascism. Takaki also shows the roles of; African-Americans, Native-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Asian-Americans, during the war and the sacrifices made for their country. In Double Victory, Takaki introduces different revisionist arguments that I will be discussing in this essay along with the connection it has to previous knowledge of the World War II era, and the relation it has to the understanding of the expansion and contraction of citizenship and equality throughout history.
The autobiography illustrates personal experiences of discrimination and prejudice while also reporting the political occurrences during the United States’ involvement in World War II. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States government unleashed unrestrained contempt for the Japanese residing in the nation. The general public followed this train of thought, distrusting the Japanese and treating them like something less than human. In a country of freedom and justice, no coalition stepped up to defend the people who had lived there most of or all of their lives; rather, people took advantage of the Japanese evacuation to take their property and belongings. The government released demeaning propaganda displaying comical Japanese men as monsters and rats, encouraging the public to be vigilant and wary toward anyone of Japanese descent. The abuse of the Japanese during this period was taken a little too lightly, the government apologizing too late and now minor education of the real cruelty expressed toward the nation’s own citizens. Now we see history repeating itself in society, and if we don’t catch the warning signs today, history may just come full
World War II stands as a stunning example of America’s heroism on the battlefields of Europe and perseverance on the home front. American citizens sacrificed and provided unprecedented production for the war effort. They were unified in their cause of protecting freedom and spreading democracy. The primary concept of “Double Victory” is the concurrent battles that were being fought by American forces and society at the same time. In other words the Second World War II was also a desperate fight against discrimination for some Americans. For example in Takakis book "Double Victory" it shows stories of the lives of ethnically diverse Americans. In where in his book he demonstrated how an African American soldier in uniform who risks his life fighting in war, was order to move to the rear from a Southern bus driver, somehow this comment forced his white friends to intervene for him. Also, Takaki tells how a Japanese American feels betrayed by his own country and this happened when he and his family are sent to an internment camp without due legal process, but supposedly for the protection of his fellow Americans. In other hand, the book mentioned how one part the U.S military were sent to Europe to rescue a large part of Jewish people from the Nazi concentrations camps, and in the other side the U.S. armies were fighting discrimination in our own land because the reality was much different at home than what we really think about. For example, in cities in the South, blacks
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,
From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,
By 1940, Native Americans had experienced many changes and counter-changes in their legal status in the United States. Over the course of the nineteenth century, most tribes lost part or all of their ancestral lands and were forced to live on reservations. Following the American Civil War, the federal government abrogated most of the tribes’ remaining sovereignty and required communal lands to be allotted to individuals. The twentieth century also saw great changes for Native Americans, such as the Citizenship Act and the Indian New Deal. Alison R. Bernstein examines how the Second World War affected the status and lives of Native Americans in American Indians and World War II: Toward a New Era in Indian Affairs. Bernstein argues
Our nation’s history has been deep rooted in the conflict involving Native Americans, ever since the beginning of America and it is one hard to get rid of even as the days go by. The impact of colonialism can be seen in Native American communities even today, and it can only be understood through a cultural perspective once you experience it. Aaron Huey, who is a photographer, went to Pine Ridge reservation and it led him to document the poverty and issues that the Sioux Indians go through as a result of the United States government’s long term actions and policies against them. One must question all sources regarding these topics because there is a lot of biased and misinformation about Native American struggles, and sometimes schools do not thoroughly teach the truth so students can get an insight. There are also different sociological perspectives in this conflict, along with many differing opinions on how to approach the problem and deal with it. This is where ideas clash because people believe their views are right regarding how to handle it.
The Native Indian history of violence and debasement changed their views and self-image as well. This change later affects how they adapt to American culture and education after being dissuaded from embracing their own for so long. The violence and indifference shown towards the Native Americans during the “Trail of Tears” contributed greatly to this change. In this dreadful journey, Natives of all kinds were forced off
While the Japanese were judged pre-war, the Native Americans were judged post-war. Some tribes gave the war veterans a hero's welcome, while other tribes insisted that members of their tribe returning from war be cleansed prior to having contact with other tribal members. The sacrifices that these two groups made for America during World War II is very significant and should be appreciated in today's society.
The Native Americans and the United States have not always seen eye to eye on things since the beginning. The approach of the people of the white civilization has brought extreme agony and torture to the Native Americans. This was as a result of race playing a humongous part in humanity during this time, for this reason the Native Americans were looked down on and poorly treated by the white population. This was a strenuous point in time for the American Indians to adapt to society since their culture, attitudes, values, and beliefs were slowly being abandoned and the federal government wanting them to assimilate to the white culture. Since then the Native Americans have struggled to persevere on reservation lands, deprived of support, and for the most part hopelessness. There are many social problems that contribute to the delinquency of Native-American youth on the reservation. The community dilemmas that contribute to the failure of the Native-Americans younger generation are poor academic achievement, alcoholism, domestic violence, mental health issues, and unemployment. These horrendous matters will hopefully disappear in the time and Native-Americans will become successful in today’s society.
Also, being wrongly convicted is rather uncommon but usually not detected for many years after the execution if carried out. Even if this is the case, nothing can be done as death is an irreversible penalty (Motherjones).