1. Social Impact of World War II Minorities in the United States: 1939-1945

2. Daily Life in the United States during World War II  Pre-World War II Idealism  World War II changed American society dramatically

3. African-American Experience in World War II  Blacks on the Homefront  Patriotic, Supportive of War Effort  Economic Discrimination  Last Hired - First Fired during Depression Years  FDR signed Executive Order 8802 - no discrimination based on race in hiring (applied to Defense jobs)

4. African-Americans in the War  Black Military Participation  Segregated Armed Forces  Separate Units and limited opportunities  Most famous African- American military group of WW 11 = The Tuskegee Airmen

5. The Tuskegee Airmen  Group of Black Pilots - 99th Pursuit “Fighter” Squadron  Trained in Tuskegee, Alabama  Decorated as an escort squadron - fought over Italy.  Col. Paul Adams from Lincoln served as a Tuskegee Airman

6. Segregation in the Military

7. Native American Contributions during World War II  25,000 Native American joined armed forces  23,000 worked at Wartime plants and factories  Notable were the Navajo codetalkers (Communicated in the Navajo language)  Japanese military never broke the code  Movie recently: Windtalkers

8. Mexican-American contributions during World War II  Bracero Program - Mexican farm laborers came to the U.S.  1942-1947 - 200,000 braceros worked  Most lived in barrios  Zoot-Suit Riots (Los Angeles) - Off duty Gis targeted Mexican American youth for styles of clothing (zoot-suits) - 1943

9. Native and Mexican-Americans in WWII

10. Japanese-American Experience during World War II  110,000 Americans of Japanese descent “interned” at camps in Western United States  Executive Order 9066 by FDR made it official  Japanese legal challenges = Korematsu v. United States (1944)  Ruled in favor of US policy  1988 - Congress awarded each surviving internee $20,000  Official U.S. apology

11. An Internment Camp - Manzanar

12. Japanese 442nd Infantry Regiment  Japanese-American combat unit  Stationed in Italy  Most highly decorated unit in US military history  21 medal of honor recipients  Most of their families were “interned” in the US

13. Japanese-Americans

14. Women in World War II America  At Home…  Many jobs taken in absence of men  “Rosie the Riveter”

15. Women in World War II America  Women in the Armed Services  WACs, WAVEs, SPARs  Served in different non- combat capacities  Mostly nurses, or support staff positions

16. Women and the War Effort

17. World War II Culture Shift