MCCKC History 120 Chapter 22: Fighting for the : World War II, 1941–1945 Essay Questions

1. Describe how government military spending during the war affected the economic development of the West and South. 2. World War II redrew the boundaries of American nationality. Defend this statement by comparing the experiences of first-generation immigrants, second-generation immigrants, and blacks during World War I with their experiences during World War II. 3. Explain the relationship between labor and the government during the war. Be sure to discuss strikes, company owners, federal legislation, and minorities in your essay. Did the war help the labor movement? Why, or why not? 4. What significance was there in the Saturday Evening Post’ s assigning the Filipino poet to write the essay that accompanied ’s illustration for the ? 5. Explain how the reports of the National Resources Planning Board reflected the shift, seen in the late 1930s, in liberals’ outlook toward the government and the economy. 6. Analyze how the rhetoric of World War II brought the contradiction between the principle of equal freedom and the actual status of blacks to the forefront of national life. 7. Thinking back to previous chapters, analyze the validity of Franklin Roosevelt’s statement that to be an American had always been a “matter of mind and heart” and “never . . . a matter of race or ancestry.” Your answer should include a discussion about blacks and different immigrants, including Asians, Irish, and new immigrants. 8. One black woman said about the war that it was Hitler that got blacks out of the white folks’ kitchen. Explain what the war did for blacks. How did they “move out of the kitchen” and what forces were behind those achievements? 9. World War II is often referred to as the Good War. Evaluate that title for the war. Is it appropriate? Why, or why not? 10. World War II opened up doors of opportunity for change that no event before it had for American minorities, save for the Civil War. This was especially true for Indians, Mexican-Americans, and Asian- Americans. Each group served in the Armed Forces. Many took advantage of the GI Bill after the war. Write an essay fully discussing how World War II and the language of freedom and democracy helped to open doors of opportunity for each group and document the obstacles that still stood in their way toward full success. 11. Eric Foner wrote that “the language with which World War II was fought helped to lay the foundation for postwar ideals of human rights that extend to all mankind.” Do you agree with that statement? Why, or why not?