World War II era

Racial segregation in the U.S. armed forces and defense employment

United States; Black service members and workers

Zinn contrasts wartime denunciation of fascist racism with segregated military service and unequal access to well-paid work at home. The contradiction helped intensify demands for civil rights.

Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.

Context / qualification

Period entry rather than a single new statute.

Sources

• Howard Zinn, The Twentieth Century: A People’s History, H00 at 00:20:32 (approximate; supplied recording)

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