Historyname Of Authorinstitution Affiliation Essay Example

The Second World War happened in the year 1939 up to 1945. Its primary cause was Poland and Britain decided to declare war on Germany since Germany had invaded Poland. It led to many countries participating in it. For instance, America, Spain, japan, Italy, Britain Germany among many more. This war had diverse effects on different continents and many countries of the world. Here we shall discuss the effects it had on America. Both positive and adverse impacts. First we shall consider the positive effects the Second World War had on America. One of the positive impacts that this war had in America is that it gained global power. United States took part in World War II with whatever they had. It led to them becoming a global power. When the war started, the then president of the United States, President Roosevelt formed the neutrality act. It kept America away from the war. It had suffered a lot during the First World War and hence, it the country was not prepared for another war. It was the case until Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor, which the United States linked with the allies. The Americans empathized with allies as their demise went on. President Franklin gathered that he was not able to keep his Americans neutral as he thought. He took the initiative of changing the neutrality act by providing ammo to the allies. The cash-and-carry plan was formed where the allies would buy the ammunition and convey it themselves. Nonetheless, German submarines started to do away with British and French ships they used to carry the ammunition. By the time, it got to 1940, and America begun to prepare for the war. Several people knew they had no other alternative (Foner, 2012). During that period, the allies did not have money to buy more things from America. But Roosevelt ensured that they joined forces. The Japanese started to develop by attacking Asia. The United States tried to break japans hostility by halting the sales of scrap metal and oil to them. It infuriated the Japanese since they needed those supplies. Japan beseeched American to continue selling to them. Instead, Americans asked japan to confiscate their soldier from south East Asia and china. Later on, japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii leaving two thousand people dead within two hours. It surprised the whole nation to the extent of America declaring war on japan. Gradually, United States and the allies turned on the axis. President Franklin died in 1945. President harry Truman took over the mid-stream that led to the United States being the most powerful force in the war. Bombs were unleashed on Nagasaki and Hiroshima killing several people that resulted in japan withdrawing from the war. As most nations were left in debts and crippled by the war, the United States was celebrating the end of it. It was a stable country hence making it the most powerful country on the planet. Another positive effect the Second World War had on America was that it assisted in the termination of discrimination that was against African Americans. As the war went on, white store owners changed their signs from no ‘help needed’ to ‘help needed’. Initially, white people needed no assistance in their shops from black people. But as more and more white men went to war, more help was required in the stores (Foner, 2012). The only people left to help out were the African Americans. It made African Americans start earning a living, and this made them start gaining respect from the white people. The president also supported it by ordering four government businesses to enlist Africa Americans for jobs. African Americans also participated in the war leading to them defeating seven German ships. The segregation ended when President Truman said that African Americans could join the army. The adverse effects the Second World War had on the United States was it led to poverty. Although there were plenty of job opportunities in the course of the war, the wages were very little such that over twenty million Americans were living just for survival. About twenty-five percent of the employees made as little as sixty-four cents per hour (Foner 2012). With a decrease in new deal agendas, those stricken by poverty hoped very little for the assistance from the government. Another adverse effect was that the Second World War led to an increase in taxation on the personal incomes of all Americans who were working. The technique of deduction from salaries was established. The tax was significant since it helped fund the government during the war. The factors that brought about the rise of the civil rights movement in mid 1950s was because of plenty of reasons. Among them was when Rosa parks that were a well-respected and distinguished person in the African American community who was arrested after she declined to offer a white woman the seat on the bus she was sitting on. The news of her arrest spread fast among the African American community. She was a secretary for the local branch in the states for the association of development of black people. Her arrest was enough to convince African Americans that they could no longer stand the discriminatory laws against them. After her arrest Jo Robinson started to plan a large scale shun of the bus system after three days. The leaders were charged with organizing a boycott. Martin Luther king junior’s house was bombed. The boycott concluded after three hundred and eighty-one days, and residents of Montgomery were given allowed to access equal bus seats. Another factor was in 1955 when a 14-year old boy called Emmet Till of African American descent was shot and burnt. The reason for this inhumane act was because he supposedly whistled at a white woman (Foner, 2012). Again in 1963, Medgar Evers was killed in Mississippi. The deaths of Evers and till got to the national news which expanded the visibility of the civil rights movement. It assisted in gaining global support. In conclusion, we can say that the Second World War had good effect on the United States and also negative results. These results are significant in a different kind of way because they have led to America being a superpower nation it is today. The civil rights movement is also great because it enable the world to see that colored people can be of value to the world. This movement is to take credit for helping African Americans get recognition to the extent of producing an African American president today, President Barrack Obama.
ReferenceFoner, E. (2012). Give me liberty!. New York: W.W. Norton.