FREE ESSAY ON RACISM DURING WWII

RACISM DURING WWII

Julien Rouleau/Michelle Bates
RESEARCH PAPER :
RACISM DURING WORLD WAR II
The Declaration of Independence of the United States states " We hold these truths to be
self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with
certain enaliable rights, that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of
happiness." So why then are people of a different race, color, culture, or religion
treated with disrespect and hate?
Racism is a crime of hate, hate against another person, or race because of color, culture
or beliefs. Racism causes people to act cruelly and in humane towards other. During the
course of world history acts of racism and discrimination were inflicted on people of
different races for various reasons. In Europe Jewish people were discriminated against
and murdered, in the United States Japanese Americans and Negroes were isolated and
treated harshly. 
During World War II Japanese Americans were portrayed as a racial nest of spies and
sabotagers. The government was convinced the Japanese people were traitors to the United
States and they would side with Japan when they got the chance. The government relocated
anyone of Japanese ancestry to concentration camps. They considered their actions to be a
"military necessity." The government had no proof any Japanese person becoming a traitor
" The governments policy was based on the incredible notion that this group of people,
solely on the basis of ancestry, had to be regarded as inherently disloyal to the United
States." (John Tateishi pg. xiv) 
There were no grounds for evicting the Japanese Americans so west coast politicians and
pressure groups turned to racial attacks that questioned the loyalty of the entire
Japanese community. These groups spread rumors about sabotage creating fear in the
public's mind, especially in the early months of the war. California State Attorney
General Earl Warren stated " To believe the absence of sabotage by the Japanese
population was proof of loyalty was simply to live in a fools paradise "(John Tateishi
pg. xv). He believed and tried to convince congress and President Roosevelt that because
sabotage hasn't happened before doesn't mean it won't happen now. The Japanese people
were in a damned-if-you-do- and -damned-if-you-don't situation. The loyalty they
demonstrated was proof they would be disloyal to the United States. As incredible as the
argument was it served as logic for the relocation of the Japanese people.
During this time Hawaii was considering relocating it's Japanese communities but they did
not because Japanese Americans were Hawaii's major work force. As a result Congress
started saying that Pearl Harbor would not have been successful without assistance from
the Japanese residents in Hawaii. These statements further sharpened the fears of a West
Coast invasion and sabotage from West Coast Japanese residents and prompted greater
pressure for relocation of Japanese Americans. Americans were afraid that something
similar would happen on the West Coast.
Public newspapers ran stories about outrage against Japanese Americans by Californians.
They wrote stories about how Japanese Americans are responsible for Pearl Harbor. Henry
McLemor wrote a column stating "I am for immediate removal of every Japanese. Heard them
up, pack them off, and give them the inside room in the badlands. 
Let them be pinched, hurt, hungry and dead up against it..... Personally I hate the
Japanese and that goes for all of them "(John Tateishi pg. xvi). A wave of racism and
hysteria swept through the press and radio. People believed that it didn't matter whether
or not the person was a United States citizen if they were of Japanese ancestry they were
spies or traitors. General Dewitt, commander in charge of war defense stated " It makes
no difference weather or not a Japanese is theoretically a citizen. He is still Japanese.
Giving him a scrap of paper won't change him. I don't care what they do with a Jap as
long as they don't send them back here. A Jap is a Jap"(Harry Kitano pg.46)
On February 19,1942 President Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 for massive
evacuation of Japanese Americans. Six days later on February 25,1942 the evacuation
started. Nighttime curfews and five-mile travel restrictions were placed on people only
of Japanese ancestry. Orders were posted on telephones ordering all people of Japanese
ancestry to sell their belongings and report to assembly points on specified days. Most
were given two weeks to sell their homes and possessions. Some were given less.
Neighborhood people acted as scavengers and offered outrageously low prices for the
Japanese homes, businesses, cars, and other personal belongings. They knew the Japanese
Americans were being forced to leave so they couldn't get a decent price for any of their
property. 
There were fifteen different relocation camps that the Japanese people were sent to such
as, Manzanar and Tule Lake in California, Poston and Gila River in Arizona, 
Minidoka in Idaho, Topaz in Utah, Heart Mountain in Wyoming, Amache in Colorado. and
Jerome and Rohwer in Arkansas. These camps consisted of barbed wire fences, guard towers,
search lights, and armed military guards. The camps were reconverted horse tracks or
fairgrounds and entire families were housed in horse stalls or cruelly built barracks. 
One hundred twenty thousand Japanese Americans were sent to concentration camps. Out of
those people seventy seven thousand of them were United States citizens, the rest were
Issie, people of Japanese ancestry that weren't born in the United States. The Japanese
Americans were held in detention camps for three years from 1942-1945.
Even though all the Japanese people were accused of being traitors not one Japanese
American was ever brought to trial for disloyal activities, none was ever charged with
any kind of crime, except being ethnic Japanese.
Another type of discrimination that occurred in the United States during World War II was
discrimination towards Negroes. Black people were looked lowly upon during World War II.
They were thought to be ignorant and like animals. White people thought they were
superior over blacks and they regarded Negroes as an inferior race.
Negroes were oppressed economically, politically, and socially. They were restricted to
the worst housing, denied equal educational opportunities and only two percent of legal
aged blacks were allowed to vote.
Black people were segregated they couldn't use the same restroom or drinking fountain as
a white person. Black people had to sit in the back of all buses and had to 
exit the rear of the bus or that person would be shot. A black man could not enter a
hotel or white janitors would jump on him and throw him out and the cops would beat him.
During this time the Jim Crow textbook law passed, it said books for black children could
not contain information on voting, instructions on how to vote, matters of government,
and civic responsibility. Books for black children are kept separate from white
children's books because people are afraid of giving white children black children's
germs. "Dr.E. M Garvin stated that the books should be stored separately so white
children would not get the germs form the books used by the Negro children." (C.L.R.
James pg.56). Another reason white children couldn't use the same books as black children
because black children received less education then white children. "Under the
Constitution the Negro is a citizen and of course we know and accept that but he can
never expect to receive the same educational and social privileges with the white man he
doesn't expect them. The best education we can give him is to use his hands because
that's how he must earn his living. It always has and it always will be ". (C.L.R. James
pg. 56) 
Along with education Negroes get the worst in the work force. Negroes get the lowest
paying jobs but they do the hardest work. Negroes are " left out in the cold and are the
last to be hired " ( C.L.R. James pg. 71). Employers didn't hire blacks because their
afraid white employees will resent it and stop working to the best of their abilities.
Training companies wouldn't train black people for various job skills because they
believed " since no one is hiring blacks it would be a waste of time to train them.
Although they weren't given they given the same chances as white people in education and
the work field they were allowed to serve in the war. Some Negroes didn't think it was
fair for them to fight in the war. "What is this democracy I am to fight for ? Where is
it? Since when are Cotton Ed Smith and Senator Bilbo and the Democratic Party of Franklin
Roosevelt my god friends . Why must I die for them? I am not afraid to fight. Negroes
have been some of the greatest fighters in history. But the democracy I want to fight
for, Hitler is not depriving me of. I know the people the people who have kept me away
from it for seventy-five years by rifles and revolvers , by state law and lynch law. You
Franklin Roosevelt, Cordell Hull, and Jack Garner, tell us why we must go and shed our
blood for something we have never had" (C.L.R. James pg.29). They believed they should be
fighting for something that would effect them . They didn't think they should fight for
the United States when the United States doesn't fight for them. Of the black people that
chose to serve in the war there were about one million black men and women. In their
units they served under white officers and were segregated into all black platoons. The
black women were assigned to be cooks, porters, laborers, or servants to white officers.
The United States wasn't the only place where racism and discrimination was in action
during World War II. In Europe Jewish people were being discriminated against and killed
because of their beliefs. During this time people believed that Jews were to blame for
the crucifixion of Jesus. They were referred to as "Christ killers" and persecuted for
his death. Constine the Great made Christianity the state religion and he demanded that
all Jews convert over to Christianity. When Jews would 
not give up their faith the church used the power of the state to make them outcasts.
Hatred for the Jews built up. People believed it was divine punishment for a Jew to
suffer misfortunes.
During the persecution of the Jews Hitler was in command of the military and most of the
government. Hitler found it his duty to ensure Jews misery. He was quoted saying "It is
not justice that I have to carry out but annihilation and extermination"(Milton Meltzer
pg.19). Hitler believed Germans were invincible and when they were defeated in World War
I he thought it was because of the Jews. He required Jewish people to wear a distinctive
badge on their arm so people would know they were Jewish. He believed Jews were
conspiring to achieve world dictatorship.
Jews were thought to be a "slave race" and Germans were the "master race ". Jews were
blamed for everything that went wrong. Germans believed Jews couldn't help being
inferior, and Germans couldn't help being inferior, because it was predetermined. Germans
thought they were the jewels of the world. " Everything great and good to be the creation
of this master race" (David Wyman pg.68).
Nazis aimed to eradicate the Jewish race. Jewish People were denied citizenship and
couldn't hold public office. Nazis boycotted Jewish enterprises , they stopped people
from entering. Their intent was to cut off Jewish companies from their customers and
suppliers. Thus forcing the Jewish owners to transfer their businesses to non-Jews. Storm
Troopers beat, robbed, and murdered Jews at will and the police, on a order, stood by and
watched. When Jewish homes, businesses, shops, and synagogues were destroyed 
he police were ordered not to interfere except to protect German life and property. Signs
were put on all the buildings saying we don't deal with Jews to further isolate the
Jewish race. An anthem rang out in the street " Horst wessel lied , when Jewish blood
spurts from the knife then everything will be fine"(Milton Meltzer pg.34).
Similar it the Japanese all the Jews were gathered together and taken to concentration
camps but unlike the Japanese , unless the Jews had skills or were useful to the
government they were killed. SS officers tortured the Jews before killing them and took
pictures of it to send to their families. The Jewish people were stripped naked and shot
some didn't die right away but they were left there to die a slow painful death. Women
died with their children in their hands. The SS officers gave them a choice " do you want
to have the baby die first or do you want to die first"(Dan Bar-On pg.106) as another
means for torture. Once all the people were killed they were buried in the ground. They
didn't get their own grave they were all put in one giant hole and buried. By the end of
the war gassing the people and burning their bodies was the way the Jewish people would
die because it was quicker and easier. By the end of the war it was estimated about 1.4
million Jewish people died.
Racism has been used to justify slavery genocide and other forms of domination of one or
more groups of people over others . Racism has and continues to result from the perceived
loss of political, economic, or social power. When one race feels their being dominated
by another race they act hostile and cruelly towards that race or races. 
Racism stems out of fear. When people are afraid they act out of anger and that anger
produces hate. 
When the Declaration of the United States was written it was written to be upheld and
followed. I don't think it was meant only for the United States to uphold but for all
mankind to uphold. People should truly believe that all men are created equal and all men
deserve the same rights and treatment. Before acting out any type of racism and
discrimination people should remember the golden rule " Do unto others as you would have
done unto you."