American Indians and World War II: Toward a New Era in Indian Affairs

The impact of World War II on Indian affairs was more profound and lasting than that of any other event or policy–including Roosevelt’s Indian New Deal and efforts to terminate federal responsibility for tribes under Eisenhower. Focusing on the period from 1941 to 1947, Alison R. Bernstein explains why termination and tribal self-determination were logical results of the Indians’ World War II experiences in battle and on the home front.