Defense Spending and the Military-Industrial Complex
On December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. This thrust America into World War II, and for the next four years it dominated nearly every aspect of American life [Bowles, 2011, 3. 7 The World at War (1941-1945)]. This greatly impacted Americans and had a significant impact on African Americans during this time. Although the attack on Pearl Harbor was a devastating period of time, it was a great time for African Americans to assert their independence.
They fought in the war, defending their country after how they were treated. They demanded being able to have jobs that were considered “whites only”. In my belief, they deserved these rights. African Americans were treated unfairly for years and did not have rights but yet still strived to fight for their country. There is no reason why they should not have been treated fairly, if not more like heroes for how brave and noble they were. According to Bowles, “While these men were willing to die for the country, they were not eligible for many of the honors for their service.
Though many deserved it, no African American could receive the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery (2011, African Americans at war). This brings me to the long term effects WWII had on our country. Bill Clinton awarded men their gold’s that they deserved 50 years too late. Only one of the men was alive to even receive it. The long term effect is the regret of letting the people who were most brave, die for our country and not receive an award just because of the color of his skin. References: Bowles, M. (2011). A history of the United States since 1865 . (Ashford University ed. ) San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
