The Zoot Suit Riots

Background World War II

World WarII was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, though
related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the
world's nations, including all of the great powers, eventually forming
two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the
most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100
million people from over 30 countries.
In a state of "total war", the major participants threw their entire
economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort,
erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources.
Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust, during
which approximately 11 million people were killed and the strategic
bombing of industrial and population centers, during which
approximately one million people were killed. World War II resulted in
an estimated 50 million fatalities.

Background World War II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yQyCTTPGuQ

World War II
The Home Front in America
After the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on the American
naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. was thrust into World
War II (1939-45), and everyday life across the country was
dramatically altered. Food, gas and clothing were rationed.
Communities conducted scrap metal drives. To help build the
armaments necessary to win the war, women found employment
as electricians, welders and riveters in defense plants. Japanese
Americans had their rights as citizens stripped from them. People
in the U.S. grew increasingly dependent on radio reports for news
of the fighting overseas. And, while popular entertainment
served to demonize the nations enemies, it also was viewed as
an escapist outlet that allowed Americans brief respites from war
worries.

The Sleepy Lagoon Murder

Precursor to the Zoot Suit Riots
The "Sleepy Lagoon murder" was the name that Los Angeles
newspapers used to describe the death of Jos Gallardo Daz, who
was discovered unconscious and dying on a road near a local
swimming hole (known as the Sleepy Lagoon) on the morning of
August 2, 1942.
Daz was taken by ambulance to Los Angeles County General
Hospital, where he died shortly after, never regaining consciousness.
The hospital autopsy showed that he was inebriated from a party
the previous night and had a fracture at the base of his skull. This
might have been caused by repeated falls or an automobile
accident. The cause of his death remains a mystery to this day.
However, Los Angeles Police were quick to arrest 17 MexicanAmerican youths as suspects. Despite insufficient evidence, the
young men were held in prison, without bail, on charges of murder.

The Sleepy Lagoon Murder

Precursor to the Zoot Suit Riots

The "Sleepy Lagoon murder" was the name that Los Angeles newspapers
used to describe the death of Jos Gallardo Daz, who was discovered
unconscious and dying on a road near a local swimming hole (known as the
Sleepy Lagoon) on the morning of August 2, 1942.
Daz was taken by ambulance to Los Angeles County General Hospital,
where he died shortly after, never regaining consciousness. The hospital
autopsy showed that he was inebriated from a party the previous night and
had a fracture at the base of his skull. This might have been caused by
repeated falls or an automobile accident. The cause of his death remains a
mystery to this day. However, Los Angeles Police were quick to arrest 17
Mexican-American youths as suspects. Despite insufficient evidence, the
young men were held in prison, without bail, on charges of murder.
The trial ended on January 13, 1943, under Judge Charles W. Fricke. Nine of
the defendants were convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to
serve time in San Quentin Prison. The rest of the suspects were charged
with lesser offenses and incarcerated in the Los Angeles County Jail. The
convictions were reversed on appeal in 1944. The case is considered a
precursor to the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943

The Zoot Suit Riots

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it-riots-remembering-the-wwii-era-los-angeles-race-rio
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