The Navajo and their impact on World War II and the lives of all Native AmericansThroughout the history of the United States, Native Americans have been the victims of European immigrants who arrived as early as the 1400s. These immigrants, for most of their American occupation, deceived, eradicated, and killed the native peoples of America, and the natives resisted for hundreds of years. Today they are an accepted part of American society as people are more tolerant, but only recently have they begun to move towards assimilation. World War II, a terrible war that raged throughout the world, also affected Native Americans. However, this effect is positive in many respects. Many Native Americans participated in World War II and were highly respected for their courage and valor. Of all the tribes that went to war during World War II, the Navajo were the most significant tribe because they sent people who created the group called the Code Talkers. The participation of the Navajo in World War II, on the battlefield and on the home front, immensely helped the Americans win the war and influenced the lives of the Native American population as a whole in such a way that they became more equal in mainstream American society because it opened a door for integration between whites and Native Americans, brought many new opportunities for them and decreased tribal influence. Before World War II, Native Americans were a severely oppressed minority in America. Their population shortly before the arrival of Columbus, estimated at between 1,000,000 and 12,000,000, declined dramatically from the time of the first American explorers until 1880. At the lowest estimate, the Native American population... at the center of the sheet... rgan, Thomas D. "Native Americans in WWII." Army History: TheProfessional Bulletin of Army History, Fall 2013. Accessed May 14, 2014. http://www.shsu.edu/his_ncp/NAWWII.htmlNation, Navajo. Navajo population growth rate. Navajo Nation, 1988. Accessed May 20, 2014. http://www.navajobusiness.com/pdf/FstFctspdf/Tbl3GrwthRate.pdf.Ojibwa. "World War II and the American Indians: The Home Front." Native American netroot. July 21, 2010. Accessed May 15, 2014. http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/609.Roessel, Jaclyn. “Tears for the future, tears of hope”. Grownup Navajo(blog), April 20, 2013. Accessed May 20, 2014.http://grownupnavajo.com/2013/04/20/tears-for-the-future-tears-of-hopi.Wikipedia Contributors, " Federal Indian Policy", Wikipedia, The FreeEncyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Federal_Indian_Policy&oldid=603917263 (accessed May 15, 2014).