Was America racist during World War 2?

Answer 1

Yes. The armed forces were segregated, with blacks mostly limited to serving in non-combat support units. Blacks were drafted like everyone else, but put in separate units, with white officers. By the end of the war manpower shortages had begun to cause some breakdown of the racial barrier, but the armed forces only became integrated by order of President Truman in 1947.

The racial segregation in the armed forces mirrored conditions in civilian life. Schools and all other public facilities were segregated, until the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum in the post-war years.