Like the Japanese, even though thousands of Italian-Americans were fighting in the war, the government designated "all unnaturalized Italians as 'alien enemies.' This designation mandated certain registration requirements and imposed limitations on travel and property ownership. The stigma struck hardest at the first generation, which supplied the greatest number of aliens" (O'Brien and Parsons 66). However, the government did not ship off the Italians to detention centers "for their own safety," and they were able to keep their jobs, their homes, and their dignity. Interestingly, while the Italians had complaints about their treatment by the American government, their reaction to the war was to become more patriotic and "American." Many Italian-American organizations changed their names from Italian to English, and many removed the flags of Italy from their meeting halls, replacing them with American flags (O'Brien and Parsons 73-74). Thus, even though they decried unfair treatment, they supported the war effort and Italian society became more Americanized as a result. The war changed Italians and Italian families, but for the most part, they escaped much of the harsh treatment heaped upon the Japanese.
Black Americans also suffered racial indignities during World War II. Black soldiers were segregated from the beginning of their training and throughout the war, and it was not until 1948 that President Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces. One author notes, "Jim Crow facilities at training camps included separate buses, PX counters, and sections in movie theaters, hospital wards, and dormitories; domestic travel via train meant segregated cars in the South; and buses between army camps and southern towns were initially segregated as well" (Honey 127). In addition, many black units were commanded by white officers, often from the South, who allowed their men to participate in menial activities such as picking cotton (Honey 127). Blacks were not allowed in combat until late in the war, they were assigned to labor or support roles instead. The real situation becomes clear when...
Blacks enlisted like many other patriotic Americans, but they were treated as second-class citizens even though they fought and died for their country like any other soldier. Racism was so rampant at the time that the Red Cross even segregated blood given by black soldiers (Honey 128). In reaction to this treatment and other racism at home, many blacks rioted in the streets of many cities across the nation in 1943. The aftermath of the war was a time of racial tension and disquiet when black soldiers began to demand their rights as they returned home after the war. Civil rights would not be won until 1964, but the roots of the civil rights movement came in the reaction to racist treatment during and after the war.
In conclusion, World War II was not a time to be anyone other than a white American in this country. Fear, distrust, and misunderstanding led to racism and unfair treatment for many loyal Americans and their families. Japanese-Americans were interred unfairly and most lost all their possessions. Italian-Americans had to register with the government and were limited as to activity and ownership. Black Americans were segregated even in the armed services, and were not given the same opportunities as white soldiers. Racism was rampant during World War II, and it indicates the unrest simmering underneath the surface of the nation contributed to distrust, misunderstanding, and hatred that would take decades to depart.
References
Honey, Maureen, ed. Bitter Fruit: African-American Women in World War II. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1999.
O'Brien, Kenneth Paul, and Lynn Hudson Parsons, eds. The Home-Front War World War II and American Society. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1971.
Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family.
Werner, Emmy E. Through the Eyes of Innocents: Children…
