Chapter 18 double v

ByAlan Gamez

Kayla LagunaAli Bowers

Chapter 18Double V for

Victory(1941-1945)

International rivalry and territorial aggression led to the First World War The Treaty of Versailles was produced in 1919 at the Paris Peace

Conference The League of Nations couldn’t create a lasting peace like many thought

they could Ignored Japan’s imperialism toward China and the militarism of Nazi

Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia and Hitler had annexed Austria and

dismembered Czechoslovakia War was hovering globally and then burst violently and suddenly

when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939

Ali

Double for Victory

After Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a speech asking the American people to help, America took actionMany African Americans joined the war effortThose who knew of Hitler’s Mein Kampf detested the

doctrines and were aware of his racism and beliefs on white supremacy and were inspired to fightHitler had disrespected African American Olympic track

stars Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe during the 1936 Berlin Games

Then African Americans were further disappointed when Germany’s Max Shmeling knocked out black boxer Joe Louis in 1936

However, Louis’s victorious rematch with Shmeling for the World Heavyweight crown in 1938 proved as a gain for the “race” and all of America

American blacks did not sacrifice the fight for democracy at home for the fight of democracy abroad African Americans even criticized Joe Louis for donating his prize

money to the U.S. Navy because the nations military was segregated Blacks across the country were protesting vigorously against barriers to

equal citizenship in their communities, professional associations, and in national civil rights organizations

Then started the “Double-V” campaign: for victory over racism in America and for victory over the fascism that American troops fought to destroy on foreign soil

Black civil rights lawyer and World War I veteran Charles Hamilton Houston wrote Roosevelt in anticipation of another global war he emphasized the critical importance of the black population to

national defense Houston warned that African Americans would no longer “silently

endure the insults and discriminations imposed on its soldiers and sailors in the course of the last war.”

Howard University history professor testified before Congress and asserted that blacks demanded “equal opportunity to participate in the national-defense program, civil as well as military.”

In September 1940, a group of black leaders submitted a seven-point program to President Roosevelt outlining minimum essentials for the just treatment of African Americans in the nation’s armed forces. Urged that:

All available black reserve officers be used to train recruits Black recruits be given the same training as whites Existing units of the army accept officers and enlisted men on the basis of ability and not race Specialized personnel (dentists, nurses, etc) be integrated African Americans be appointed to draft boards Discrimination be abolished in the Navy and Army Corps Competent African Americans be appointed as civilian assistants to the secretaries of war and

the navy The War Department responded by issuing a statement that African Americans would be received

into the Army on the general basis of the population of the country The government also refused to put in black officers over black units that had white officers

African Americans were irate and they made it known Roosevelt promoted the black army officer Colonel Benjamin O. Davis to brigadier general.

The industrial mobilization that preceded the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and America’s declaration of war offered few opportunities to black workers because companies preferred giving jobs to white workers who the Great Depression left unemployed

The March on Washington Proposed by A. Philip Randolph, the president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids. He

called for an all black march with the aim of emboldening African Americans with a sense of their own power and also to preclude communist infiltration and dominance Which emphasized the need for a new style of activism, specifically large-scale, direct-action protest

with the pressure on the federal government itself Eleanor Roosevelt along with other national leaders attempted to discourage the march but Randolph

did not budge. The president proposed a compromise, he promise to issue an order “with teeth in it”, prohibiting

discrimination in employment in defense industries or Government because of race, and Randolph canceled the March

The Clause Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) was established to receive and investigate complaints against industries in violation of the order

Held hearings in many cities nation wide Blacks initially thought the document was the most effective since the Emancipation Proclamation

White employers opposed the order all together

Authored a report the revealed ways in which blacks were underutilized an discriminated against in the armed forces ohis plea for raisin the morale od black troops

though the full inclusion of black people in American life met with little sympathy with the War Department

William Hastie

4000 women enlistedRacial discrimination occurredBlack women were segregated into unitsThe Army Nurse Courts discourage the presence of black

nurses in many field hospitals.The Draft Nurse Bill was promoted by the president to

enforce the racial discrimination already in place It continued the Army Nurse Courts quota on Black

nurses.

Women in the Military

1940 the War Department announced its plan to train African-American pilots

In 1941 the 99th pursuit squad prepared for an organization as a Fighting unit

Davis Junior became part of West PointHe was the only black line officer in the army. 2000 black men completed either pilot or support

skills training in this program The base closed on September 5, 1946

Black Airman

In 1943 the Navy decided to allow African-Americans to enter its program.

African-American women gain admission into the women excepted for volunteer emergency service.

The Navy the Marines

  Half of million African American served overseas during World War II. The European theater Blacks made up almost half of the transportation works.

After DDAY more than 50,000 African-American engineers erected camps tents and buildings.

In 1945 war department announced that pontoons of African American troops and white troops were to be integrated in the unit.

The two major black combat air units overseas were the 99th pursuit squadron and the 332nd fighter group.

The 99th went to the Mediterranean theater. That 332nd was instrumental in seeking an enemy destroyer off the

peninsula.

Overseas Service

African-Americans took an increasingly active part in the war in the Pacific and East Asia.

10,000 blacks worked on construction of the Lido Road in Burma.

Service in the Pacific

By the fall of 1944 the Navy was able to announce that 500 Black Sea Man we're on duty

Twelve thousand black Seabees served in the Pacific.

Service in the Navy.

24,000 African-Americans served in the merchant Marine

The merchant Marine practice considerably less segregation and discrimination.

Four black captains commanded liberty ships with integrated crews

18 ships were names for African-Americans.

Merchant Marine

 1941 the lynching of private Felix Hall of Montgomery

occurred.Black writer James Baldwin described helplessness in an

easiness felt by Blacks up north. Southern communities refused to serve black man in uniform

at restaurants. Myraid acts of racism occurred on military bases. African-Americans also censored the United Service

organization in band of anthropologist Ruth Benedict Antichrist book Races of Mankind.

The War Department recognized discrimination against African-Americans in July 1944

The Department forbade racial segregation in recreational and transportation facilities.

Racism at Home

Wartime necessities and black demands caused the government to adopt several economic and social policies that challenged race relations

New Deal Programs provided preparations of skills for employment in the defense industry for African AmericansoNational Youth Administration (NYA)oWork Projects Administration (WAY) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq5UiGdje8U

Keeping Home Fires Burning

U.S. office of Education SponsoredoVocational Training for War production workersoEngineering, Science, and Management War Training

(ESMWT)By the Summer of 1943 these programs/organizations and

policies together, put approximately 108,000 African Americans in pre-employment courses to help African Americans acquire the skills needed to be able to be put in the work force

Continued…

Formed by Roosevelt’s executive order 8802 The tide began to slowly but surely turn for the employment of African

Americans these organizations and policies showed the Governments commitment an effort to lower and potentially eliminate discrimination in the work fieldoAt the beginning of the wartime emergency almost no blacks were

employed for the war efforts oBy the end of there were thousands that were employed in these types of

fields

More than 100,000 African Americans found employment for the first time in steel, iron, welding and related industries

The work of the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC)