4.3 Social Impact of WWII (African Americans)

What did Executive Order 8802 cause African Americans to do?

500,000 African Americans joined unions, and many became Democrats who supported FDR's policies.

Who was Coleman Young?

A labor leader who became the first black mayor of Detroit.

Why were the worst of the racial conflicts in Detroit?

A lot of newcomers arrived in Detroit in order to receive the jobs offered in factories there. Since there were so many, they along with long-time residence, were separated by ethnicity into crowded neighborhoods. Workers demanded better wages and conditions which led to riots.

Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?

African Americas pilots who were trained at Tuskegee University who entered a program that led to the creation of the first all-black squadron, the 99th Pursuit Squadron

In the south, white civilians _________ black officers without any consequences.

Assaulted

Why was the political impact of African Americans limited in the south?

Because of Jim Crow laws

Italian and German prisoners of war seemed to get __________ than African American soldiers.

Better treatment

There was _______ towards African Americans in all levels of the military.

Discrimination

How was patriotism shown for the war effort?

Everyone put effort into the war by reducing, reusing, recycling, growing their own food, and participating in the labor force.

What were victory gardens?

Gardens that people made from scrap iron to grow their own food in urban areas

What were attacks on the mainland limited to?

German submarines in the Gulf of Mexico and Japanese occupation of the Aleutian Islands

How was the war characterized?

Good vs. Evil

Who was lieutenant Jack R. Robinson?

He was a black officer who was court martialed in Texas and would later become the first baseball player to break the color barrier.

Who was Booker T Spicely and what happened to him?

He was a black soldier who was murdered by a white bus driver for not moving to the back fast enough. The driver claimed self-defense and was acquitted.

What was Executive Order 8802?

Issued by FDR, it stated that employers of defense industries that were accepting contracts from the government had to make jobs available without discrimination.

Despite claims to protect workers and how critical African Americans were to the labor force, the federal government did _______ to prevent further racial violence.

Nothing

How were the African American pilots proven capable to people who doubted they weren't?

Psychologists set up training facilities with intelligence tests that would only pass those who performed at an acceptable level. They were so successful that they were given to all potential pilots, regardless of race.

Where were most factories located?

The Midwest and west.

What did civil rights leaders in black communities learn in face of the conditions during the war?

They learned lessons in passive resistance, strength in numbers, and power of the working class when labor is scarce. They use anger and dissatisfaction during the war to mobilize the black community during the civil rights movement.

Why did the NAACP believe that the war was about a double victory?

They saw it as victory over foreign enemies and against inequalities at home.

How did the Tuskegee Airmen respond to their humiliation and was it successful?

They used civil disobedience in order to end segregation. It didn't work in the short term, but their actions led them to be place under African American Commander Benjamin O Davis, and to the military re-evaluating racial policies.

Why was it important that African Americans became Democrats?

They were a vital swing vote in the northern states.

Despite having an admirable record of not losing a single bomber, how were the Tuskegee Airmen treated?

They were categorized as trainees, instead of the officers they were.

What changed for African Americans in military service during WWII?

They were no longer relegated to menial tasks and instead fought on the front line in segregated units.

Arguably, WWII was the most ________ event for African Americans.

Transformative

How did WWII mark a turning point for the US from a demographic perspective?

Women became the heads of households, and minorities were trained in order to perform skilled labor in factories.

The funds set aside by the War Department to train African American pilots were ___________

designed to fail