1. Topic 16
World War II

2. As the war approached, what was the situation for African-Americans?

3. Benito Mussolini

4. Given Italy's prominence in the Mediterranean, Mussolini envisioned a new Roman Empire around the sea

5. In late 1934 Mussolini took the first step to dominate the northern coast of Africa by attacking Ethiopia (an old colony for which it had lost control)

6. Italian troops in Ethiopia, 1934-1935

7. Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie appeals unsuccessfully for aid from the League of Nations

8. International Council of Friends of Ethiopia

9. Nazi Party

10. Aryans = northern European, usually thought of as blond, blue-eyed:

11. 1936 Berlin Olympics

12. Jesse Owens

13. Ralph Metcalt (right) with Jesse Owens

14. Joe Lewis defeats Max Schmeling

15. Initially there were few black US troops

16. In 1939 the US government began activating more black troops

17. As the military began to grow, the numbers of black officers did not grow proportionally

18. Despite rules suggesting that draft boards not discriminate, for a while some accepted only whites

19. As the wartime army began to form, African-American leaders presented a series of demands to FDR:
Black recruits given the same training as white troops
Existing units in the army accept officers and enlisted men on the basis of ability, not race
Specialized units of personnel such as doctors, dentists and nurses be integrated
Blacks on draft boards
Blacks as civilian staffers in the Department of War

20. The War Department struggled to meet the demands.

21. What protests broke out over unequal treatment for African-Americans in the defense industries during World War II? How successful were such protests and why?

22. The civilian defense industry did not treat black workers fairly

23. A. Philip Randolph

25. FDR’s Executive Order 8802 greatly expanded the number of blacks in the defense industries and mandated fair treatment

26. Fair Employment Practices Commission

27. Other than the struggles over the military and defense industries, what other efforts were made on behalf of African-Americans during World War II?

28. “Double V Campaign”

29. James Farmer

30. CORE

32. Gunnar Myrdal

34. In the 1944 Supreme Court case of Smith vs
In the 1944 Supreme Court case of Smith vs. Allwright, the Court held that African-Americans could participate bin party primary elections

35. What role did African-Americans play in the fighting during World War II?

37. 761st Tank Battalion

38. Tuskegee Airmen

39. Despite the advances for African-Americans during World War II, what problems remained as obvious examples of continued racism?

40. The FEPC could not enforce compliance with its orders, and it only resolved about a third of the complaints it received during the war

41. Race riot in Detroit, 1943

43. Despite the efforts of
Dr. Charles Drew, the Red Cross still maintained separate blood banks.