The protesters in this 1938 Library of Congress photo were hosiery workers from Reading, Pennsylvania. They were protesting the boycott of silk goods from Japan because the boycott threatened their jobs. Why 'America First'? Because the boycott was aimed at pressuring Japan to stop the invasion of China. The Japanese invasion of China caused widespread human death and suffering. The protestors argued that their needs came first.

If you thought the boycott was aimed at preventing cruelty to silkworms, we're sorry to say, it wasn't.

What was the overall effect of the silk boycott? Although the boycott did affect Japan's trade balance, it was ultimately not successful in effecting a change in policy. Unfortunately, the US boycott of Japanese imports also affected Japanese-American businesses, even if no imports were involved. Japanese-American citizens were discriminated against as a result. When the United States and Japan went to war in 1941, many Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps. Protests like the boycott made this measure easier to sell with the public.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

27.05.24 Front Page

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