A Dream Is Not A Decision Essay, Research Paper

The easiest way to escape any type of trouble is the shift the blame to another. This is demonstrated in every day life, and has formed a pattern in history. In World War II, not only were the Japanese, African Americans, and Jewish people fighting for their countries, but they were also struggling for their freedom and self worth. It is human nature to be afraid of difference, and intimidated by the unusual. The Japanese Americans were sent to Japan and to internment camps in America to prevent any enemy aliens from spying on the American army. The African American’s were forbid to fight in the war because they were thought to be “traitors.” The Jewish people in Germany were sent to death camps and/ or exported because the German’s blamed them for their country’s economic turmoil. All of these separate groups of people fighting against each other in the war, were all fighting for a common purpose- justice and equality. The Japanese, the African Americans, and the Jews were all scapegoats and were forced to take the blame for each individual country’s problems.

Almost the entire Japanese American population was sent either to internment camps, or deported to Japan. Often, second generation Japanese people, who were born in America, were sent away to find a new lifestyle in Japan. American citizens who did not know the language were forced to get accustomed to the Japanese culture and way of life. Those who were not sent away were forced to evacuate and live in mass internment camps. According to the American government, this had to be done because America was at war against Japan, and many thought that the Japanese were spying and going to turn against their country- America. This policy was ridiculous and simply brought hate from the Japanese. The deportation that took place was also unnecessary. The American’s were not accepted in Japan, and not welcome in America.

By the time that World War II took place, African Americans had been living in America for over 200 years. Still, the American government thought that the black people were not capable of fighting in the war. “Unless freedom and equality are not won, accepted, and applied, the darker races wil never wholeheartedly fight for the victory of the nations.” People believed that unless the African Americans won equality for fighting in the war, that even after the war, there would be a civil battle. They were seen as a problem, and the reason for all of the governments differences. What most did not understand is that, although they are severely mistreated, America was still their country, and they had pride in that. They were fighting for America, their country. They would have benefited from the victory, they did not fight for the white American racist people.

After World War I, Germany had a lot of money that it owed to a lot of countries. Germany’s land itself was destroyed from the war. Then the Great Depression put the country in a very unstable position. They lacked good leadership and government. Adolf Hitler was a man who promised to solve all of Germany’s problems. Once elected in 1933, he implemented the Nazi philosophy. The goal of the Nazi people was to create a complete Aryan race. Anybody who was not Aryan, especially Jews, was persecuted. The Nazi’s sent the Jews to death camps and forced them to live in internment camps, where they were starved, and eventually killed, or they died of starvation. During the Holocaust, America denied Jews who were trying to escape Hitler’s unjust decisions.

America is seen as the land of the free. What most often overlook is the past. There was no logical explanation for these unecessary limitation policies placed on the freedom of these innocent people. They were mistreated because nobody wanted to assume responsibility for their own actions, so they blamed the minorities.