Brand new to Java student

I am taking a course and we are using Java as our language. I haven't
used Java before so I am VERY new.

I have an application that I am writing that gets a string from user
input (called type). If the value of the string is "C" then I am
simply trying to recognize that so that I can make 'decisions'.

For some reason I cannot figure out how to tell what the 'value' of
the string is, although I can use the string. Here is my code:

<code>
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
     {
      if(e.getSource() == submit)
      {
      startTemp = Double.valueOf(inField.getText()).doubleValue();
          String type = new String();
          type= inType.getText().toUpperCase().trim();
          display.append(type);

          if(type == "C" || type == "c")
          {
          display.append("Celsius");
          }
      }
     }
</code>

the line: display.append(type);
works. It adds what ever is typed into the box to the text area. the
code in the if statement never executes.

I figure what ever I am doing wrong is probably stupid simple... but I
have never used Java so I don't see it. (Note I started with a case
statement only to find that you cannot do that with strings...)

Thanks for your help.