Abstract
The minority in the US had struggled with segregation and discrimination for a long time before the civil rights laws were applied. World War II opened up an opportunity for the blacks, Latinos, and Hispanic Americans to challenge some of the social prejudices. After the war, the minority groups could access employment opportunities and vote. These developments were realized through advocacy for their civil rights.
Introduction
World War II provided a unique opportunity for the segregated minorities in the United States to momentarily forget their racial differences and work together in the fight against their common enemies. During this period, the blacks were allowed to join the US Army under special regiments. Such an opportunity would have been open for the minority in the society, and it was apparent that discrimination was still present because the regiments were led by white generals exclusively. After the war, there were changes in the civil rights of the minority. The research question for this paper is, “what was the nature of the civil rights of the minority in the US after World War II?”
Employment
Before World War II, the blacks and other members of the minority ethnic groups in the United States could not get jobs in the military (Phillips, 2012). The profession was strictly reserved for the whites, but after World War II, the military started recruiting regiments with blacks and Latinos (Zamora, 2009). Over 500,000 Latinos served in the military during the war (Latino Americans in WWII at a glance, 2014).
This change did not eliminate discrimination among the races because the blacks and the rest of the minority ethnic group could not rise to leadership positions in the military (Saldin, 2014). Their regiments were led by whites, and most of the members complained about being mistreated (Civil Rights in the Postwar Era, 2014). During the war, the members of the minority groups were trained with sticks instead of guns, but after the war, the whites lifted some of the discriminatory rules (Green, 2010). The military became more aware of racism issues, but not much effort was placed on eliminating the vice (NAACP, 2014).
Civil rights movement
After World War II, blacks, Latinos, and Hispanic Americans returned home to a society that was yet to embrace them as heroes (Civil Rights 101, 2001). Discrimination still existed in society, but a civil rights movement was in effect (Plummer, 2003). The soldiers from the minority groups did not get back to the farms where they previously worked (Knepper, 2003). They looked for employment opportunities in the urban areas using their experience in the army to validate their resumes (Ridlon, 2005). These changes were followed by large migrations of the blacks and Latinos from the farms, and they settled in the urban areas like New York (Taylor, 2011).
The war had broken the social prejudice that the members of the minority ethnic groups could not perform certain tasks accordingly (Burton, Podair & Weber, 2011). Their exemplary performance in the war was a challenge to the white people because they proved that they could fight for the people who discriminated against them (Civil rights, 2014). After the war, the minorities were allowed to vote (Civil Rights 101, 2014). Whites granted the minority some civil rights, but segregation still prevailed in some areas (Civil Rights, 2014).
Conclusion
World War II broke some of the social prejudices in American society. The majority and the minority ethnic groups united to fight the common enemy, although the process of accepting the blacks, Latinos, and the Hispanic people in the military attracted more discrimination. After the war, the minority had been empowered to challenge certain issues regarding their civil rights. They succeeded in compelling the whites to grant them some of their civil rights, but segregation still prevailed in the society.
References
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