Article

THE ABSENCE OF CLARITY AND THE EFFECTS ON MINORITIES

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Abstract

This paper involves discovering how the lack of clarity in the American refugee policy post-World War II affected members of multiple minorities: namely Jews, suspected Communists, and homosexuals. The goal is to show that the lack of clarity in American policy and pre-established prejudice were factors that encouraged nativism and xenophobia within the American people. This has been done by examining secondary sources of analyses given by historians like Carl Bon Tempo and Torrie Hester, and by also drawing on primary news articleswritten from 1948 to 1980. Upon examination of these sources, it became clear that the uncertain refugee policy had a negative impact on the American public sphere and led to tension between foreign Communist nations. Through showing the effects of unclear policy, this research highlights the importance of decisive laws and a need for humanitarian support over self-serving American image.

Keywords: History, United States History

How to Cite:

Lavoie, Z., (2019) “THE ABSENCE OF CLARITY AND THE EFFECTS ON MINORITIES”, University of Massachusetts Undergraduate History Journal 3(1), 20. doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/xt09-eh55