Mistreatment of Italian Americans in WWII
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Debate Summary
Shortly after WWII began, 600,000 Italian immigrants in the U.S. were classified by the government as "enemy aliens". Our government thought that these people might show sympathy towards Italy and try to aid the enemy during wartime. These people were subject to horrible mistreatments by the government as second-class citizens, including:
- Not being able to travel more than 5 miles from their homes
- Unwarranted government searches of homes and seizures of possessions
- National curfew from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM
Much of this story has been forgotten throughout history but needs to be acknowledged. Members of various Italian-American communities around California are calling for government funded educational programs throughout American schools which educate the generations to come on these horrible acts of mistreatment. Currently, there are two bills attempting to be passed through Congress which support this cause, H.R. 1706 and H.R. 1707.
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