Deck 20: The World War Ii Era and the Seeds of a Revolution, 1936-1948

Question 1

Why did the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor?

A) They were trying to assert control over Asia, and force the United States out.
B) They had no apparent reason. It was simply an unprovoked act of aggression.
C) They were angry over American treatment of Japanese and black citizens.
D) They were retaliating for American use of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.

Answer 1

They were trying to assert control over Asia, and force the United States out.

Question 2

Why did the United States take so long to get involved in World War II?

A) Franklin Roosevelt continuously worked against involvement.
B) Congress, with most of the American population, was isolationist, and thought that we should not have been involved in World War I.
C) England refused to allow America to become involved, thinking that the United States would dominate the war.
D) The Soviet Union planted communist spies to try to make sure America did not enter the war.

Answer 2

Congress, with most of the American population, was isolationist, and thought that we should not have been involved in World War I.

Question 3

What was a common occupation for many black soldiers in Europe?

A) They were often a part of the transportation corps, delivering supplies to soldiers at the front lines.
B) They were only responsible for digging trenches and setting up temporary quarters for white soldiers.
C) They were rarely put in any position of danger during the war.
D) No African Americans were sent to Europe, since they were thought to be cowards and lazy.

Answer 3

They were often a part of the transportation corps, delivering supplies to soldiers at the front lines.

Question 4

What was the Abraham Lincoln Battalion?

A) a group of African Americans who enlisted in the British army to fight the Germans before America entered the war
B) a group of African Americans who enlisted to fight in the Spanish Civil War against Franco
C) a civil rights organization, dedicated to fighting segregation
D) a racist group of whites who wanted to turn America back into Lincoln's original vision

Question 5

What was the March on Washington Movement designed to do?

A) Stop segregation in the nation's public schools.
B) Stop discrimination against blacks in wartime industries and the military.
C) Stop the lynching of black men by white mobs.
D) Eliminate discrimination in restaurants and theaters.

Question 6

What policies did the War Department lay out for black participation in the military during World War II?

A) African Americans would be the lead troops, to serve as the first wave of combat in Europe.
B) African Americans would be kept segregated and serve mainly in non-combat units.
C) African Americans would have absolutely no role or presence in Europe.
D) African Americans would be limited to digging ditches in Europe for white troops.

Question 7

What was the result of the March on Washington Movement?

A) Nothing resulted-the march never happened.
B) Roosevelt paid little attention to the march, because Randolph was unable to muster much support.
C) Eleanor Roosevelt was able to convince Randolph to back off on threats to march.
D) Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8022, capitulating to most of blacks' demands.

Question 8

What was not a finding of the 1925 American War College study about African Americans?

A) They were physically unfit for combat duty.
B) They were inferior in intelligence and resourcefulness to whites.
C) They could not control themselves in the face of danger.
D) That they should be able to serve in officer positions, if tested adequately beforehand.

Question 9

How did events in Ethiopia in 1935 and in Spain in 1936-1937 affect how some African Americans thought about world events leading up to World War II?

A) African Americans supported anti-fascist movements in both countries, and the events demonstrated the threats of that type of government.
B) All African Americans were much like whites at this time, uninterested in world affairs.
C) They demonstrated that Africans in certain areas could gain significant political rights and power.
D) They demonstrated that political power only came at the price of extreme violence.

Question 10

What was the effect of Executive Order 8022?

A) It had a great effect, as even industries across the South were forced to comply with the president's orders.
B) White resistance and a failure to include union activity and the military greatly limited the order's effectiveness.
C) Black women were still refused entry into the armed forces, although they had proven themselves able to handle combat roles.
D) It continued to exclude blacks, very effectively, from any type of defense job in the nation.

Question 11

Who organized the March on Washington Movement?

A) A. Philip Randolph
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) W. E. B. Du Bois
D) Langston Hughes

Question 12

What two countries formed the Axis on the eve of World War II?

A) Germany and Italy
B) Germany and England
C) Japan and Italy
D) America and England

Question 13

How did the government incorporate blacks into the workforce to prepare for World War II?

A) It was overcoming the idea of racism even prior to the war.
B) It thought that too many whites would refuse to work in dirty, menial positions.
C) The government wanted all Americans behind the war.
D) It did not-most employers and unions refused to allow blacks to work in wartime industries.

Question 14

What was not a difference between German POWs' treatment in camps and the treatment of African Americans in the military?

A) Germans often received better treatment than blacks.
B) Germans were freer to move about the camps than blacks.
C) Germans, like other non-black ethnic groups, faced no discrimination within American society during the war.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 15

How did President Roosevelt respond to requests to improve blacks' situation in the defense program before the election of 1940?

A) He immediately desegregated the armed forces, but refused to desegregate defense industry jobs.
B) He immediately desegregated defense industries, but refused to desegregate the armed forces.
C) He did very little, other than token appointments for blacks.
D) He was unable to push any changes for blacks through the very racist Congress.

Question 16

What did Dorie Miller's actions during Pearl Harbor illustrate about blacks in the military?

A) They completely confirmed white racist attitudes.
B) Since Miller was the first man to die at Pearl Harbor, he became an instant hero.
C) Miller was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism, but was immediately returned to mess duty.
D) That the 1925 American War College study was correct.

Question 17

What was the "Double V" campaign?

A) victory in Europe and victory in Japan for the American forces
B) a slogan adopted by African Americans to work for victory in the war and victory over racism at home
C) a propaganda campaign in Germany, designed to bring support to its policy of eliminating the Jews
D) a failed campaign by the British government to bring the United States into the war in 1939

Question 18

What was the primary force behind much of Adolf Hitler's policies?

A) primarily nationalism, focusing on bringing strength to Italy
B) racism, focusing on blaming Jews for all of Germany's problems
C) anti-communism, although Hitler refused to persecute them for fear of Soviet reprisals
D) primarily a desire to eliminate liberals from politics

Question 19

What finally lifted the United States out of the Great Depression?

A) Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs
B) black business successes
C) military spending by the United States to prepare for World War II
D) the Kennedy administration, and the development of the atomic bomb

Question 20

What did Executive Order 8022 do?

A) ended discrimination by race in the armed forces
B) desegregated all government facilities and government-funded facilities
C) technically ended discrimination by race in defense industry employment
D) allowed black women into the military as nurses and cooks

Question 21

What was the most common result of the efforts of Malcolm Ross and the Committee on Fair Employment Practice to end discrimination?

A) resistance by whites, especially in the South, to desegregation
B) improvement to blacks' situation in labor across the South
C) worsening conditions for blacks, as the South began to fire blacks so they would not have to deal with Ross
D) many in the South abandoning the idea of segregation in employment

Question 22

What is true of the Tuskegee Airmen?

A) Other bomber groups were very supportive, often requesting the group to fly with them.
B) Other bomber groups refused to allow the black airmen to escort white bombers.
C) The Tuskegee Airmen, although very skilled, never saw combat.
D) The Tuskegee Airmen, although qualified to fly, were only allowed to be mechanics for the planes.

Question 23

How did whites like William E. Dowling interpret the causes of the Detroit race riot?

A) Racism had been the primary force in the riot, and whites should work toward better relations with blacks.
B) They thought blacks had been too aggressive in pushing for rights, and that they were probably under communist influence.
C) The police had acted too harshly and should be punished.
D) The NAACP's language of violence and retaliation was not part of protected First Amendment speech, and was a primary cause of black anger.

Question 24

What was not a War Department policy change during World War II?

A) The War Department began to put out propaganda to emphasize contributions of black soldiers.
B) The Marine Corps began accepting black members.
C) African Americans began to be trained as officers and fight in combat roles.
D) African American women began to be accepted in some minimal combat roles.

Question 25

What is not true about black protest in general during the war?

A) Generally, women didn't play a role, as black men led most organizations.
B) Although college students studied some issues, they rarely decided to become active.
C) Blacks were unified behind a single goal and method in their fight against discrimination.
D) Blacks refused to protest, preferring instead to serve their country in the military as a sign of their patriotism.

Question 26

What was significant about the Southern Regional Council?

A) It was a white racist group, dedicated to destroying the NAACP.
B) It was a black group, organized to fight for civil rights in the South.
C) It was an interracial group that challenged the racist system in the South.
D) It was a militant black group that focused on the use of violence to destroy racism.

Question 27

What successes did the NAACP see during the war?

A) The NAACP experienced some growth, but really had many problems during the war.
B) There were very few-the government effectively shut down the organization during the war.
C) The NAACP grew tremendously in membership and influence, even in the South.
D) The NAACP suspended operations during the war, to avoid being labeled "unpatriotic."

Question 28

How did blacks and other ethnic groups interpret the causes of the Detroit race riot?

A) They saw it as the result of ongoing, long-standing white supremacist tactics in Detroit.
B) They thought blacks had been too aggressive in pushing for rights, and that they were probably under communist influence.
C) White policies of lynching blacks for failing to take their hats off in a white woman's presence were ridiculous, demeaning, and should be changed.
D) The NAACP's language of violence and retaliation was not part of protected First Amendment speech, and was a primary cause of black anger.

Question 29

What area saw the most dramatic increase in black population during World War II?

Question 30

What is true about black labor during World War II?

A) The agricultural economy began to recover, and few blacks left the farms voluntarily.
B) Pressure from the government, and the promise of high wages, drew many blacks into industrial positions that were previously only occupied by whites.
C) There were very few changes for blacks during World War II.
D) Blacks began to speak out about greater changes in jobs, but were rarely able to take advantage of the situation.

Question 31

What was different about the black soldiers who served in World War II versus those who served in World War I?

A) Those who served in World War I were more likely to see combat in Europe.
B) Those who served in World War II were generally much poorer and less educated.
C) Those who served in World War II were more likely to be high school or college graduates.
D) Those who served in World War I were generally members of the NAACP or other protest organizations.

Question 32

What was the Cold War?

A) the armed conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in Siberia after World War II
B) an ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union over different interests for Europe and the rest of the world
C) another name for the Korean War during the early 1950s
D) the war against segregation in the United States

Question 33

What was the result of Mabel K. Stauper's efforts for black nurses?

A) Her efforts were never successful. Black nurses would not be accepted until the Vietnam War.
B) The War Department ended quotas and exclusion of black nurses shortly before the end of the war.
C) The War Department enlarged the number of black nurses it accepted, but refused to end quotas.
D) The War Department actually made nursing more restrictive, when they raised requirements for service.

Question 34

What did Mabel K. Staupers fight against during the war?

A) for black women to be able to enter the military and fight in combat roles
B) discrimination against blacks in combat roles
C) quotas for black nurses in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps
D) the lynching of black soldiers

Question 35

How did labor opportunities change for black women during World War II?

A) They did not-black women continued to be employed only in domestic work.
B) Black women were able to move into high level clerical jobs, since white women were employed elsewhere.
C) Many women were able to move from domestic service jobs to industrial work.
D) Black women began to take over male barbershops when black men left for the war.

Question 36

Which of the following was not true of black resistance to discrimination during the war?

A) The NAACP flooded the government with examples of unfair treatment.
B) William Hastie resigned his government position in protest.
C) Black troops responded with violence in the Port Chicago Base Mutiny, killing several white officers who had whipped them for violating curfew.
D) Blacks generally stopped protesting during World War II, since they thought it unpatriotic.

Question 37

What principles did the Congress of Racial Equality, created in 1942, stand by?

A) They were very democratic in their organization, and wanted America to stand up to its principles.
B) They stressed the importance of the Muslim faith for equality for blacks.
C) They refused to challenge segregation directly through sit-ins and numerous types of protests, since they thought that would be against Gandhi's techniques.
D) They pressed for a violent response to white racism.

Question 38

What prompted President Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 9346?

A) Mabel Stauper's efforts to end quotas for black nurses
B) the March on Washington Movement
C) the murder of 2500 black soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge
D) the ineffectiveness of the FEPC during the early part of World War II

Question 39

What was not a spark to the Detroit Race Riot in 1943?

A) disputes over jobs and housing in Detroit
B) anger over the brutality of the police in Detroit
C) a fight over segregation of Detroit's beaches
D) anger over a dramatic rise in the price of food by white-owned businesses

Question 40

What was not a type of conflict that emerged as the NAACP grew during the war?

A) Leaders fought over the value of integration into white society.
B) Leaders fought over the continued dominant use of legal tactics.
C) Some leaders wanted to focus more on helping working-class blacks.
D) Leaders questions whether the group should exist at all, since progress had been made on racial issues.

Question 41

How did Henry Wallace alter Truman's actions concerning African Americans during the election of 1948?

A) Wallace caused Truman to adopt more policies favoring African Americans, to keep their votes.
B) Since Wallace was the leader of the Dixiecrat Party, Truman explicitly went against him in advocating black rights.
C) Wallace was a black communist leader of the NAACP, and caused Truman to crack down on that organization during the 1950s.
D) .Wallace really had no effect on Truman, since he had no support.

Question 42

What statement did Paul Robeson make that particularly infuriated anti-communists in the United States?

A) Robeson advocated that all blacks move immediately to the Soviet Union.
B) Robeson declared that he would not be drafted to fight in the Cold War.
C) Robeson could not understand why blacks should go to war for a country that denied them their civil rights.
D) Robeson made public comments stating that he thought HUAC had been infiltrated by communists.

Question 43

What prominent African American was affected by the anti-communist witch hunts?

A) Ralph Bunche
B) Paul Robeson
C) Mahalia Jackson
D) Mabel Staupers

Question 44

In what direction did Du Bois think the NAACP should focus after World War II?

A) toward economic gains for blacks
B) toward winning independence for African nations and abolishing colonialism
C) toward desegregating the armed forces
D) toward winning rights for black women, and feminism in general

Question 45

What domestic effect did the Cold War have in America?

A) The tension with the Soviet Union ushered in a period of repression and hysteria against anyone suspected of being communist, or supporting communist views.
B) Very little, since the war was not actually fought in the United States.
C) It caused blacks to gain favor with government leaders, since they were active in fighting the Cold War.
D). It had the effect of forcing the government to make concessions to African Americans without any demands on their part.

Question 46

Who led the Dixiecrat Party revolt in 1948?

Question 47

What did Executive Order 9981 do?

A) It forbid discrimination by race in defense industries.
B) It forbid discrimination by gender in the armed forces.
C) It officially desegregated the armed forces.
D) It forbid discrimination by race or gender in defense industries.

Question 48

What was the reaction of many white southerners to Truman's interest in African-American rights?

A) They decided that they must finally support at least some black rights.
B) They left the Democratic Party to form the Dixiecrat Party, which favored white supremacy.
C) They began violent rebellions against blacks, and even attempted to assassinate Truman.
D) They began to work within Congress to impeach and remove Truman from office.

Question 49

Which was the first war to see integrated American troop units in conflict?

A) World War II
B) the Korean War
C) Vietnam
D) some integration had been occurring since the Spanish-American War

Question 50

How did African Americans react to the growing tensions in Europe in 1948?

A) They reacted with patriotism and the hope that their fighting in the conflict would lead to greater recognition and rights.
B) They reacted with overt protests and criticism against the segregated draft and military service.
C) Many immediately went to Europe to join in French or British fighting units, where they encountered far less racism.
D) Most African Americans generally ignored the tensions in Europe, believing they had nothing to do with them.

Question 51

What point did Du Bois and Ralph Bunche agree on regarding Africa?

A) Africa should come under American control for its benefit.
B) Blacks should immediately migrate to Africa to gain more civil and political rights.
C) African nations should be free from colonial control.
D) Africa should serve as a model for race relations in the United States.

Question 52

How did the United States government punish Robeson for his views?

A) They placed him under house arrest.
B) They revoked his passport, and refused to allow him to travel abroad.
C) They sent him to prison under solitary confinement, and refused to allow him access to an attorney.
D) They secretly kidnapped him and sent him to live in exile in the Soviet Union.

Question 53

How did the Cold War influence African Americans' struggle for rights?

A) It made racism and segregation less acceptable as the United States struggled for control and influence among African and Asian nations.
B) It decreased the power of the federal government, which was then less able to help blacks.
C) It decreased the power of the military, making military desegregation less significant.
D) The Soviet policy of overt racism was seen as negative by Americans.