World War 2 part 2

African Americans

Double V Campaign: created to encourage African Americans to enlist, Double V stood for fighting against Hitler’s racism in Europe and they would win over the racism at home

99th Pursuit Squadron: Air Force, famous group of African American pilots trained at Tuskegee Institute (Red Tails)

Bracero Program

Mexicans were encouraged to come into America in the SW Region to farm

Zoot Suit Riots:

racial riots because Mexican Americans and American sailors that took place in Los Angeles, called “Zoot Suit” Riots because Mexicans were known to wear flashy Zoot Suits

Korematsu v. US: Fred Korematsu

he was evacuate to an internment camp, he said it violated his 14th Amendment rights, he was arrested and he sued the government, Supreme Court said his rights were not violated since the internment camps were a “military necessity

Blitzkrieg (Lightning War)

German military strategy that has three phases 

1. Attack by German Air Force (Luftwaffe)

2. Attack by German Tanks (Panzers)

3. Attack by German Infantry 

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Commanded all US troops in the European Theater, Led the Invasion of D-Day (Operation Overlord)

Douglas MacArthur

Commanded all US troops in the Pacific Theater, instrumental in implementing our strategy of Island Hopping

George S. Patton

Commanded under Eisenhower, reason we won the North African Campaign (Operation Torch)

Atlantic Charter (August 1941)

Before the US was even in World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill met and decided that the US and GB would be committed to democracy, nonaggression, free trade, economic advancements, and freedom of the seas

Casablanca Conference (January 1943)

Churchill, Roosevelt, and de Gaulle met in Casablanca, Africa and decided they would fight until the Axis Powers unconditionally surrenders

Tehran Conference (December 1943)

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met for first time in Tehran, Iran and decided to invade France to push Germany out of France (this is where the D-Day Invasion was decided upon)

Yalta Conference (February 1945)

FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met in the Soviet Union to decide on what the world would look like after the war. Created United Nations (peace treaty) Germany and Berlin would be divided into 4 zones, Eastern European countries under the Soviet Union would have free, democratic elections

Potsdam Conference (July 1945)

FDR passed away in April of 1945 so new US President Harry S. Truman met with Churchill and Stalin met in Potsdam, Germany.

Decisions made at Potsdam Conference:

Proposed peace treaties to end World War II

Germany would be divided into 4 zones controlled by US, Britain, USSR, and France (big bad bomb)

Nuremberg Trials

Axis leaders on trial