History

Quite often the American society and the Government are positioned as the most democratic among others worldwide. There are no doubts that such a comparative tendency is supported by the fundamental changes the American nation has gone through to be named so. However, some of these changes were done imperfectly, where positive decisions were made only after the peaks the conflicts led to. Moreover, still there are issues the US society faces. A truly democratic society means the developed laws, and, thus, their transparent applying, to create, support and predict the successful equality’s existence. The US got a massive number of such history lessons being one of the most multinational countries in the world. Hence, some of those are perfectly learnt, while the others still burn society’s tension.

The concept of equality does not have a single and unchanging understanding, including not exactly the same approach to the interpretation of this concept being held by different national legal systems and international instruments. The mandatory requirement of equality of people as human beings in general, regardless of the group, geographical or social class has received universal acclaim, in fact, recently, after the World War II. However, it is not a question of an age of this historical idea. Any attempt to formulate a demand for equality is faced with the fact that all people are actually unequal across multiple congenital or acquired characteristics. This implies the eternal dilemma regarding the priority of formal equality (or equality of treatment), or substantive equality, which in general can be understood as equal access to the benefits. Thus, this paper reveals the historical momentum of how the equality came out and its modern condition.

The World War II definitely exposed the issues of some national minorities and gender issues as well. However, the race aspect was always quite difficult, complicated throughout the entire American history. Of course one learnt the Civil War outcomes, the reasons of it and the whole enormous concern of slavery. Moreover, one also retrieved the problems between Native Americans and white population it merged with in a long and problematic manner. It seemingly points to some isolation of American population to the rest of the world. Instead, one may underline the openness of the US to newcomers. Thus, the question is controversially enough. Such problems were flashing before the World War II. One of them is overloaded taxes the Chinese had to pay to become a part of the American society. There is no clear answer what the real reason of it was. Also that time the society was overheated with the aspect of women rights to vote. This right was given only in 1920. These two examples are the pre-history of the government policy to national minorities and the society’s attitudes to women as a full part of it during the war times.

The US took a stand of an observer the times Europe began to fire. However, the country was an active observer and turned to be a member of the World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The society literally went mad with minorities trying to properly react to the cases. This horrible act also served as a fact of the American society’s strengthening and splitting at once. The point is the war times made minor national communities take a part in the country’s further activities. Thus, Hispanic, Afro-American and American Indians were largely engaged at the US Army serving. This was a kind of miracle that time. However, the great Afro-Americans movement from the South to the North, their adapting to big cities was an arguing aspect. Whites somewhat resisted their penetration to the mainstream of American life. It especially revealed in renting apartments. The thing is Afro-American population has moved to get jobs to help the American forces by manufacturing or repairing different armed units. Also there was a mobilization of women that got a massive scale never seen before. Two decades before women were on the American streets to fight for their rights’ extension. This is also quite impressive. The society in a short time by far reviewed a woman status. Thus, at war times women gained an enormous popularity as the most effective and responsible assistants to the army and society as well. The traditional understanding of the social role of women was expanded. Since the first women’s purpose was generally considered care of the home and family. Thus, during the war and post-war period this purpose gained care of the nation’s home on the labor front.

Going back to war times there were the government actions that harmfully treated minorities. Moreover, these actions seemed to break the values of freedom.  Anti-Japanese intensified sentiment in American society after Pearl Harbor and the authorities have expressed concern about the ethnic Japanese loyalty to the American flag. Decrees of President Roosevelt were published declaring all Germans, Italians and Japanese as enemy aliens who were remanded in custody. February 19, 1942, Roosevelt signed the Executive Order number 9066, according to which the military received special rights to declare war zones. Soon it was reported that the citizens of Japanese descent will be subject to eviction. Around 120,000 ethnic Japanese were forcibly deported to the camps from California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona, two-thirds of whom were US citizens. Deportation was purely racist: even those who had 1/16 of Japanese blood were subject to deportation. The shameful hysteria has begun. Thus, Major Carter Garver, acting Assistant Adjutant General of the Army, said: “From what is known of the Japanese character and mentality it is also considered dangerous to rely on the loyalty of native born persons of Japanese blood unless such loyalty can be affirmatively demonstrated”.

Ten camps in seven states were created. Camps for the deportees were placed in unsuitable for living areas far from settlements. Decades after the war, in 1983, the US Congress has been established Commission on displacement and internment of civilians in time of war, in a report stating that the internment of the Japanese was “illegal and called racism rather than military necessity”. This historical event definitely puts a shadow onto the picture of American freedom. Gathering and putting any group by racial and descent aspects were common practices of Nazi Germany government. Surprisingly, the American government did the same. Of course, the living conditions or the overall attitude of country’s forces to camp groups were far different. However, the level of cruelty is not a question realizing the fact of such a deed itself. That was unnecessary tool. Many of the Japanese refused the American citizenship to show their protest to the provided policy measures. The others lived quietly waiting for the better times.

Today it is perceived as the bad experience. However, the history puts new issues right up to face of modern society. The tragedy of 11^th September waved America again. That was the modern Pearl Harbor. The complication resembles the Japanese case since America turned its evil eye to the Middle East. Some of the researchers even published the information of a possible hunting the government applied to the persons of Arab descent that also smells as fascism. The modern issues are far complicated since the reaction is directed to so-called terroristic groups not a definite country while these groups are acting in few different states. It seems this is a new brand lesson to be learnt.

Hence, the material of it is old, experienced one. Thus, humanity needs to remember and bare the previous ones. Recent few killings of Muslim people in the US are scary by the fact some people still believe and use some moral of self-superiority to the others. Moreover, the mainstream news agencies somewhat ignored this terrible event “streaming lies polluting the news”. That means the concept of equality is not developed yet. Maturity of a democratic society is proved by the developed equality of each member. The American experience is the best example of both sides of such a society. It has some falls during its overall prosperity. Thus, still it has a chance to show the world how to avoid even a little fascism-themed issues.