Horns honking! Bells ringing! Sirens wailing!
People are flooding the streets in wild celebration. The Japanese have surrendered!
We did not fight until we were attacked. But then we fought wholeheartedly to defend other nations’ liberty and ensure our own.
This war showed us at our best. American soldiers from different ethnic backgrounds fought side-by-side to defeat intolerant fascist dictators. We marshaled American might to fight for democracy.
The war also showed us our own failings. In a war for freedom, black soldiers fought in segregated units. We forced Americans of Japanese ancestry into "relocation camps."
Now, at war’s end, American liberty takes on new meaning. FDR said, “Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere.” More Americans are ready to ask, “Doesn’t that mean here at home, too?”
