Conclusion_and

Throughout history there have been important barriers that were instrumental in keeping peace and protecting people and places. But, there have also been barriers that kept cultures and people apart and the more powerful used barriers to keep others down.

The topic of the Navajo Code Talkers is very complex with many different layers and angles. The accomplishment they are most known for, is the creation of an unbreakable code which was the barrier that kept the enemy from knowing America’s plans. Their unique culture and language which the US had been trying to erase for many years proved to be a beneficial barrier against an outside enemy.

Since Europeans came to America, they wanted to own the richness of the land and its resources. That often meant that the Native Peoples were forced to move and leave their land. Some US officials were trying to assimilate the Navajos into European American culture by making them ‘civilized’. This meant taking them out of their traditional culture and forcing them to be like European-Americans. It could be considered an attempt to break down the barriers between the two cultures but it deprived the Navajos of their culture and heritage.

When the US entered WWII Johnston realized that the US military needed to join forces with the Navajos. The two cultures mutually agreed to temporarily break the barrier that the Americans and the Navajos had. Because of this, the Navajo Code Talkers played an instrumental part in winning the war. Not only did the Code Talkers break down barriers to join forces with the US military, they also created barriers for the enemy.

All of the barriers that were part of the Navajo Code Talkers’ story made this topic so complex and interesting to research but understanding all of them and how they worked together made it an amazing project.