African Americans in World War II

You had a white water fountain, and a black water fountain. And a black would get into trouble if he went and drank at the white water fountain. My friend at Brookley Field had his head busted wide open because he drank at the white fountain.
– John Gray, The War

Background

During World War II, African Americans found themselves with conflicting feelings about supporting the war effort, since their own country did not offer them the freedom America was fighting for overseas. The Double Victory — Double V— campaign, begun by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1942, helped to address this issue. It encouraged African Americans to participate at every level in winning the war abroad, while also fighting for their civil rights at home.

Objectives

Students will:

• Identify the historical context of the scope of America’s unequal treatment of African Americans.
• View video segments from the Ken Burns film, take notes, and answer questions.
• Consider whether participation in the war effort helped or hindered African Americans’ quest for civil rights.

Lesson Procedure

1. To understand the dilemmas facing African Americans on the eve of World War II, your students will need some historical context regarding the scope of America’s unequal treatment of African Americans, including Jim Crow laws and de facto segregation, lack of access to well-paying industrial jobs at the beginning of the war and, the complete segregation of the armed forces. You can provide this information to students in a brief lecture, or you can divide students into four groups, with each assigned to research and answer the following questions and report back to the whole class.
   • What was the legal status of segregation in 1941?
   • What was Executive Order 8802? What were President Roosevelt’s
   • stated reasons for ending discrimination in the defense industry?
   • What contributions had African Americans made to previous wars in U.S. history?
   • What organizations existed in 1941 to fight discrimination against African Americans?
2. Introduce the following activity: Listening to the Voices of African Americans. Explain that in this activity, students will view two videosegments, take notes, and consider the following question: How could individual African Americans best further their own quest for equal rights during World War II.
   To help students answer this question, screen the segments, “African American Troops Training,” and “Mobile Shipyards.” Each segment provides background on the African American experience during World War II and several viewpoints from African Americans. As they watch, have students create a chart with each speaker’s name along with his or her personal information, role in the war and reasons for or against participation.
3. After watching the segments and students have completed their charts, ask the class to decide whose viewpoint comes closest to representing their personal view. For example, do students agree with John Hope Franklin who decided that his country did not deserve his service? Do students think that participation in the war effort would help or hinder African Americans’ quest for civil rights after the war?
4. Now raise the following question: Did African Americans have to make an absolute choice between fighting for their own rights and fighting to win the war? Were there any compromises that could be made to further both efforts? If so, what were they, and what were the best strategies to use in wartime?

National Standards

National Standards for History, National Center for History in the School at (http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs)

Era 8 Standard 2A The student understands the New Deal and the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Analyze the involvement of minorities and women in the New Del and its impact upon them.

Era 8 Standard 3C The student understands the effects of World War II at home. Evaluate how minorities organized to gain access to wartime jobs and how they confronted discrimination.

Center for Civic Education, National Standards for Civics and Government. (http://www.civiced.org)

Standard I.B. 3. Civil Society and government. Explain how civil society makes it possible for people individually or in association with others to bring their influence to bear on government in ways other than voting and elections.

Standard II.B. 4. Diversity in American society. Describe conflicts that have arisen from diversity and explain the means by which some have been managed and explain why some conflicts have persisted unabated.

National Council for the Social Studies, Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.

Standard II d. Systematically employ processes of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct and reinterpret the past, such as using a variety of sources and checking their credibility, validating and weighing evidence for claims, and searching for causality.

Standard IV Individual Development & Identity g. Compare and evaluate the impact of stereotyping, conformity, acts of altruism, and other behaviors on individuals and groups.

Standard VI Power; Authority, & Governance h. Explain and apply concepts such as power, role, status, justice, and influence to the examination of persistent issues and social problems.

Language Arts, Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel) at (http://www.mcrel.org)

Language Arts

Viewing Standard 9
Grades 6-8

• Understands the use of stereotypes and biases in visual media, e.g.,
• distorted representations of society; imagery and stereotyping in advertising; elements of stereotypes such as physical characteristics, manner of speech, beliefs and attitudes.

Standard 9 Grades 9-12

• Uses strategies to analyze stereotypes in visual media, e.g., recognizes stereotypes that serve the interests of some groups in society at the expense of others; identifies techniques… that perpetuate stereotypes.

Language Arts Media

Literacy Standard 10
Grades 6-8

• Understands the ways in which image-makers carefully construct meaning, e.g., idea and word choice by authors, images created by photographers, television programs created by groups of people

Standard 10 Grades 9-12

• Understands the influence of media on society as a whole, e.g., influence in shaping various governmental, social, and cultural norms; influence on the democratic process; influence on beliefs, lifestyles, and understanding of relationships and culture; how it shapes viewer's perceptions of reality; the various consequences in society of ideas and images in media.