Introduction

In the United states, the war in the pacific was justified through the use of racist media that was broadcasted to the general public. Propaganda films represented Japanese people as primitive and hostile by nature. Political cartoons showed racist depictions of Japanese people with slanted eyes and crooked teeth attacking the U.S. Posters were made that showed how to distinguish between Chinese and Japanese people. This open racism helped to make the American people as a whole feel confident with the U.S.’s standing in the war. They also enforced the idea that the U.S.’s position in the war was morally right. In the United States before and during World War II racist propaganda against the Japanese was used to justify the war to the American people. This exhibit will examine examples of the different types of media used in the U.S. to justify the war.