World War II and the United States

World War II, the Homefront, and the Cold War

A Philip Randolph wrote a letter to Walter White, the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to push for fair employment practices as a means of dealing with rampant employment discrimination in the defense industry. Randolph, a Black labor leader, wrote the letter at a time when the U.S. was preparing for the Cold War. In the letter, Randolph notified White of his intention to organize “a mass march on Washington” to advocate for the rights of Black people under America’s national defense. Randolph was seeking support from White in mobilizing Black people to participate in the march. Randolph’s action played a critical role in the quest to end racial discrimination as it contributed to Executive Order 8802, which was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on June 25, 1941. The Order prohibited discrimination of employees in government and defense industries on the basis of race, national origin, color, or creed.

The fight against rampant employment discrimination by Black leaders like Randolph provided the foundation with which more Blacks were drafted into the military during World War II. Locke & Wright (2019) state that unemployment virtually disappeared in the U.S. as more American workers were drafted into military service. These American workers included Black people who continued to leave the agrarian South for the industrial North. As a result, more Black people joined the military service. However, the problem of racial discrimination remained a major issue, especially for Black women. Even after the Executive Order of 1941 was signed by President Roosevelt, Black women who were drafted into civilian and military sectors were relegated to the most menial tasks by their supervisors. They were separated from whites and forced to work at night. In essence, racial discrimination in employment remained a major issue during World War II despite Randolph’s efforts that resulted in the inclusion of more Black people in civilian and military sectors.

Executive Order 9066, which was signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, authorized the internment of men, women, and children of Japanese descent. The Order was addressed to the Secretary of War and Military Commanders to exclude some people from the federal government. While authorizing the internments of people of Japanese descent, President Roosevelt also ordered all executive departments, federal agencies, and independent bodies to support efforts by the Secretary of War and Military Commanders. Such support could be in the form of providing medical aid, food, transportation, shelter, clothing, hospitalization, use of land, equipment, supplies, facilities, services, and utilities (Locke & Wright, 2019).

This executive order played a critical role during World War II in the U.S. During World War II, Japan segregated itself from the world and remained committed to aggressive military expansion. On one hand, Japan has radical military leaders whose success was evident in operations like in Manchuria. On the other hand, the nation was characterized by diplomatic failures of its civilian government, which forced the military to take over policy. As Japan remained committed to aggressive military expansion and operations, the U.S. lacked military capacity and willingness to oppose its invasion of China. However, the U.S. later fought with Japan after diplomatic relations between the two countries collapsed. Japan sought to neutralize the military powers of the U.S. and other European powers. As racial tensions remained rampant in the U.S. during World War II, foreign nationalists like Japanese in the U.S. found themselves in a precarious position. People of Japanese descent became a major target for the Federal Bureau of Investigation on grounds of disloyalty. As a result, many of them were detained and placed in internment based on provisions of the Alien Enemy Act. Executive Order No. 9066 worsened the plight and experiences of the Japanese during World War II.