Both positives and negatives.
The position of Native Americans deteriorated in the period after WW2. There were two major elements to this decline:
- The policy of termination, which ended the recognition of Native American tribes and any remaining treaty rights, and instead treated them as independent and self-supporting.
- The movement of Native Americans to urban areas
Impact on Indian New Deal Policies
The Second World War further damaged the Indian New Deal.
- The BIA office was moved from Washington to Chicago in 1942 (Shows federal governments declining interest in preserving the rights of the Indians).
- Its budget was also cut as federal resources were devoted to more urgent war-related activities.
The reservations lost a further million acres of land, including 400,000 acres for a gunnery range and some for housing of Japanese-American internees.
Native American code-breakers
Impact on Native Americans
The experience of war also transformed the lives and attitudes of Native Americans.
- By 1941 there were approximately 350,000 Native Americans in the USA- of which 25,000 served in the armed forces.
This was a higher proportion than from any other minority.
The Navajo tribe for example, used their language to provide the US military with an undecipherable code.
- A further 40,000 Native Americans worked in war-related industries.
For many this meant a permanent relocation to the cities, and with it, a willingness to assimilate into mainstream white culture.
The experience of some Native Americans during WW2 encouraged a greater determination to fight for their rights.