After Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans were viewed with disgust by whites. Ultimately, with the passage of Executive Order 9066, the homes of Japanese Americans were taken away, they were stripped of their property, their livelihood, and most importantly, their freedom. Even those born in the United States were stripped of their rights and forced into internment camps. Racial issues were obviously not limited to just the Japanese. African Americans were expected to fight in a war for freedoms that had not been afforded to them even in their own country. Sometimes they were even denied the opportunity to join the armed forces. Although many African Americans found a new beginning in the many war cities, they were still discriminated against and still had to deal with segregation. Whites kept African Americans in low-skilled jobs. When Roosevelt signed the Federal Order for Fair Employment Practices in the Defense Industries requiring equal opportunity and prohibiting discrimination, the new change caused many problems. The real problems came when 12 African American workers became welders, the whites started a riot because they wanted African American workers to remain in inferior roles. African American workers were then bombarded with racist slurs and violence, causing some to flee war cities to protect themselves and their families. Proving once again that the United States was involved in a war for “freedom” that its own citizens had not been able to fully experience. The war touched on many other topics that are all important to the lives of Americans in the past and present. Financial security, livelihood, family and community are things that were and still are important to every American family. World War II caused the loss of so many lives for the freedoms many are still fighting for