Lesson 13: Fighting Abroad and Fighting Back Home
(1940-1954)
Directions: As you read the lesson, use this worksheet to help
organize your thoughts and newfound information. Answer these
questions carefully and review them before completing the
corresponding submission.
I. Introduction
A. What will I learn about in this lesson?
B. How does this lesson relate to the course overall?
II. World War II Erupts
A. What did Europe’s fascist powers have in common?
B. Why did Italy attack Ethiopia?
C. What was the stated goal of the Japanese Empire?
D. How did the United States get dragged into World War II?
E. What is the main idea of this section?
III. The War At Home: The Arsenal of
Democracy
Opportunity and Discrimination
A. How were African Americans excluded from skilled jobs in
defense factories?
B. What opportunities became available to African Americans
during the war years?
C. What is the main idea of this subsection?
The Double V Campaign
A. How did the Double V Campaign begin?
B. What were the two victories the campaign set out to win?
C. What is the main idea of this subsection?
The March on Washington Movement
A. How did President Franklin Delano Roosevelt respond to
pressure from African American groups?
B. In your own words, define or state the significance of the
following:
1. A. Phillip Randolph
2. The March on Washington Movement (MOWM)
C. How was the MOWM different from many other African
American movements in the past?
D. Why did President Roosevelt want to prevent the MOWM
from marching?
E. What is the main idea of this subsection?
The Fair Employment Act
A. What did Executive Order 8802, or the Fair Employment
Act, attempt to address?
B. What were the main failings of the Fair Employment Act?
C. What steps did the Fair Employment Practices Committee
take against discrimination?
D. What is the main idea of this subsection?
IV. The Second Great Migration
A. In your own words, identify or state the significance of the
following:
1. Second Great Migration
2. The Congress of Industrial Organization
B. Why were many African Americans moving away from
agricultural jobs during this era?
C. Why did so many African Americans face opposition to
union membership?
D. How did job opportunities for African American women
compare to those of white women?
E. In what kinds of war industries were African Americans
usually given jobs?
F. What made the Pacific Northwest a popular destination for
African American migrants?
G. What is the main idea of this section?
V. Racial Violence and Riots
A. How did white employees work to keep African Americans
out of the work place?
B. How did competition over industrial jobs fuel racial
tension?
C. What is the main idea of this section?
VI. African American Groups Fight Back
A. What made the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) unique
among civil rights groups?
B. Identify some of CORE’s major early leaders.
C. What was CORE’s primary tactic and why was it
successful?
D. In your own words, identify or state the significance of the
following:
1. nonviolent direct action
2. Mahatma Gandhi
3. Roy Wilkins
E. What is the main idea of this section?
VII. Fighting the Enemy Abroad
Discrimination in the Military
A. What types of discrimination did African American soldiers
face when enlisting in the military?
B. What tasks were African American soldiers usually given in
the military?
C. What was the U.S. Navy’s policy on African American
sailors?
D. In your own words, identify or state the significance of the
following:
1. Doris Miller
2. General George Marshall
3. The Red Ball Express
E. What was the argument given against desegregating the
military during wartime?
F. How did African Americans, even when they could not
serve on the front lines, remain a vital part of the military?
G. What is the main idea of this subsection?
Early Signs of Desegregation
A. What was the primary reason the U.S. military began to
allow African Americans in combat roles?
B. How was the War Department pressured to allow African
American nurses?
C. What is the main idea of this subsection?
African Americans Face the Enemy
A. How did white commanders often treat African American
combat troops?
B. Identify an African American Medal of Honor winner from
World War II and discuss this person's achievements and
actions.
C. What did all African American Medal of Honor winners from
World War II have in common?
D. What additional dangers did African American soldiers face
in the Pacific Theatre?
E. What is the main idea of this subsection?
The Tuskegee Airmen
A. Identify or state the significance of the following:
1. Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Davis
2. 332nd Fighter Groups (Tuskegee Airmen)
B. Why were the first Tuskegee Airmen almost prevented
from going into combat?
C. What kind of reputation did the Tuskegee Airmen develop
in combat?
D. What myth about African Americans did the Tuskegee
Airmen and other heavy combat units help to dispel?
E. What is the main idea of this subsection?
VIII. African American Soldiers Return Home
A. How did the war experience affect African American
servicemen?
B. Identify or state the significance of the following:
1. Sgt. Issac Woodward
2. Walter White
3. President Harry Truman
4. Executive Order 9981
C. What distinguished President Truman from other
presidents on the issue of race?
D. What is the main idea of this section?
The Korean War
A. Why did the Korean War make integrating the armed
forces crucial?
B. How were black units like the 24th Regiment given harsher
criticism for their conduct in Korea?
C. Define or state the significance of the following:
a. General Matthew Ridgeway
b. Ensign Jesse Brown
F. How did soldiers feel about serving in integrated units in
Korea?
D. What is the main idea of this subsection?
IX. Finding Homes in the Post War World
A. In which regions of the U.S. did many returning
servicemen choose to settle?
B. In your own words, define or state the significance of the
following:
1. housing covenants
2. redlining
3. blockbusting
4. white flight
5. 1956 Federal Aid Highway Act
C. What caused African American neighborhoods to become
increasingly run down?
D. Who profited most from blockbusting?
E. How did white flight alter the makeup of American cities?
F. How did the building of federal highways affect African
American neighborhoods?
G. What is the main idea of this section?
X.
African Americans in Politics
A. Describe the political atmosphere in the U.S. after World
War II.
B. Define or state the significance of the following:
1. W.E.B. Du Bois
2. Paul Robeson
3. Ralph Bunche
C. Why did some prominent African Americans come under
scrutiny from the U.S. government?
D. What is the main idea of this section?
XI. African American Post-War Music
A. What brought singer Ella Fitzgerald to national
prominence?
B. Define or state the significance of the following:
1. bebop jazz
2. blues
3. rhythm and blues
4. scat singing
5. Nat King Cole
C. How did musicians in the North modify blues music?
D. How did television become an important outlet for African
American musicians?
E. What is the main idea of this section?
XII. African American Post-War Literature
A. What was the primary focus of African American writers in
the post-war years?
B. Define or state the significance of the following:
1. Ralph Ellison
2. James Baldwin
3. Richard Wright
4. Gwendolyn Brooks
C. What is the main idea of this section?
XIII.
African Americans in Sports
A. Why were professional sports important to the cause of
integration?
B. Define or state the significance of the following:
1. Jackie Robinson
2. Branch Rickey
C. What is the main idea of this section?
XIV. Lesson Review
A. In a paragraph, describe the main ideas/theme of this
lesson.
B. How did this lesson relate to your prior knowledge of these
topics and prior lessons in this course?
C. Are there any topics you would like to know more about?
Are there any you feel that you need to review before
taking the submission?