Wednesday, September 13, 2017

What role did traditionally marginalized groups (Native Americans, African Americans, and women) play in World War II?

Native Americans served prominent roles in WWII. They were drafted or enlisted into the armed forces like all other subsets of Americans. Some Native Americans, such as the Navajo, were able to use their native language as a code that the Japanese were never able to decipher. The movie Windtalkers is a dramatic portrayal of their experience.
African Americans served with distinction in segregated units during WWII. One of the more famous units was the Tuskegee Airmen who safeguarded bombers flying over Germany. Despite losses to their own unit, they never lost a bomber that flew with them. Many African Americans left the South during WWII and went to find work in munitions factories. They reported in such great numbers that Franklin Roosevelt passed a law saying that any factory receiving a government contract must integrate. This was one of the first federal attempts at integration.
Women played a key role in WWII as well. Women served as secretaries and nurses. Women also assisted with flying planes from one station to the next, most notably with the Navy's WAVES unit. Women also supported the American home front during WWII by working in jobs vacated by men who went to fight the war.

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