Home is Where the Heart Is
If what they say is true and that "home where is the heart is:" the African-American soldier's heart must have been torn as he went to battle fighting for democracy while at home his own blood suffered from racial prejudice. In a two-front war of their own, World War II took on special significance. In light of things, African-Americans had the option of making World War II just a movies-screen. They could have simply watched as their enemies in America were killed. On the other hand, they could use this battle to fight for democracy as a stepping stone to fight for democracy in America. They chose the latter option. African Americans used World War II as a stepping stone in drawing towards the goal of equal rights and opportunities for African-Americans. African-Americans in pre-world war II America were unfairly treated, to say the least. From the time of the earliest permanent settlements in North America to the Civil War, African Americans participated in every major military conflict. Denied military service during peacetime, they were actively recruited at the commencement of hostilities. Blacks responded to these calls-to-arms in large numbers. Many saw military service as a way to improve their own condition. Others enl
So is this to say that War is good? Most certainly not. It is to say that war helps people to see reality more clearly. World War II helped the United States realize its hypocrisy in trying to "preserve democracy" throughout the rest of the world when in fact democracy was not kept within its own borders. It is certainly an interesting thing to ponder what the world would realize if war were to come again now. As a result of World War II, African Americans were given significantly more presence in the so-called "land of the free." African Americans in the work force increased from 500,000 to about 1.2 million. During the war, African-Americans had taken advantage of the lack of urgency in racial issues and took it upon the government to enforce racial equality. Not to say that things were perfect after World War II, but they were certainly much better. A drastic increase in working, in women-workers, and equality in general was within a somewhat seeable future for the African-Americans. isted in hope that their participation would prove to whites that African Americans deserved equal rights. In none of these wars were blacks granted much gratitude. The Red Cross, for example, segregated "white and "colored
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Approximate Word count = 823
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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