Racial and Discrimination Issues in the United States During War Time

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Recommended: Roles of African Americans and women in the war

Racial and Discrimination Issues in the United States During War Time Americans today revere World War II as the "best war ever." The legacy

left by this war is treasured in American minds as a period when life

was generally better: people were moral; Americans were patriotic

citizens eager to serve their country; America saved the whole world

from the Nazi power. Many Americans envision this time as a 'golden

age' of American history and culture. America emerged at the end of

the war as the leader of the free world with much to be proud of.

Michael Adams examines this time period closely, and concludes that

Americans have distorted this period in our memories and minds to

exclude other disturbing facts and realities which make the era less

glamorous. There are many commonly accepted beliefs about WWII that

are inconsistent with the actual facts of the war. One of these is the

ideal of the gallant soldiers who fight side by side for America,

blind to inequalities or discrimination. The fact is discrimination

was alive and well in the ranks of WWII soldiers. Discrimination of

race and gender were barriers that many soldiers were forced to deal

with in their desire to fight for our country. African Americans and

women faced many problems among the ranks of the US armed forces.

The common idealized image of the fighting ranks of the US military

was one where whites and blacks fought side by side for the American

cause. Undoubtedly, the media fuelled these misconceptions. At a time

when Americans were flocking to the movie theaters in record numbers,

they encountered dozens of WWII films in which black and white

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