The Second World War impacted American lives both at home and on the war front. The war impacted different ethnic groups differently within America. The emergence of a new enemy overseas took attention off of some groups and focused negative actions on others. Looking at the beginning, middle, and end of the war, displays three points in the war where American ethnic groups faced racial changes. Although all ethnic groups in America went through a transition period during the war, two minority groups went through major changes. Native Americans and Japanese Americans were both greatly affected by wartime beliefs of the 1940s. To show how these two groups were impacted at home and on the war front, accounts of two young Americans will be used to represent each cultural group during the three points of the war. The first person is Jeanne Wakatsuki, a second generation Japanese American. The second individual is Ira Hays, a Pima Indian living in Arizona.
The beginning of the war came with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The declaration of war with Japan affected many people in America in a number of ways. The majority of U.S. citizens hated Japan and all Asians for what they did in Hawaii. Japanese Americans were affected negatively by the war and the wartime sentiment against Asians. The American general public could not discriminate between the many Asian races living in America. The inability to determine Japanese decent, led to sentiment against all Asian races during the 1940s. While the Japanese were losing respect from the country, many Native Americans shared the patriotism with the rest of the country and joined the war effort. Many Native Americans believed they would gain respect from the nation by lending a hand in the war. The new respect could bring more rights and a better life after the war for all Native Americans. Both Jeanne and Ira's initial war experiences show how their respective races were treated early in the war.