wwii: mobilizing for war, mobilizing the american people

17
WWII: Mobilizi ng for War, Mobilizi ng the American People

Upload: charles-sharp

Post on 17-Jan-2016

220 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

WWII: Mobilizing for War,

Mobilizing the

American People

Page 2: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

WWII Mobilization: My WWII Mobilization: My Q’sQ’s

• How were American factories reorganized during WWII and how did they help the war effort?

• Describe three ways American citizens helped the war effort.

• How did the roles of women change during WWII?• What was the “Double V Campaign” and how

successful was it?• What was ironic about the treatment of Japanese-

Americans during WWII?

Page 3: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

After Pearl HarborAfter Pearl Harbor• Now that the United States was fully involved in

the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America had to increase both the number of armed forces and their production war goods.

• The mass production of these war goods would help America finally get out of the Great Depression.

• The federal government, by awarding huge contracts to major businesses like Ford and U.S. Steel, was able to reorganize factories to make products specifically for combat.

Page 4: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

War FactoriesWar Factories• Almost every factory in the United States made

something for the war effort from 1941-1945.• A Nazi commander mocked the U.S. early in the

war by claiming we could only produce electric ice boxes and razor blades. He was quite wrong.

• After the last civilian car was produced, autoworkers went to work producing planes and tanks.

• A merry-go-round factory started to make gun mounts while a pinball plant made armor-piercing bullets.

Page 5: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

War Factories War Factories ContinuedContinued

• By late 1942, a third of the entire American economy was devoted to war and American factories equaled the military output of the Axis Powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—combined.

• The Soviet Dictator Josef Stalin toasted FDR, shouting, “To American production, without which the war would have been lost.”

• During the war, America produced 300,000 planes, 2.6 million machine guns, 6 million tons of bombs, and 86,000 warships.

Page 6: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Helping the War EffortHelping the War Effort• Even before America became involved in the war

in 1940, FDR signed the Selective Service and Training Act, a bill that drafted men into the military during peacetime.

• Scrap drives were instituted to ensure that the American troops had enough metal for their weapons.

• Kids were often known as “Uncle Sam’s Scrappers” because they scoured the neighborhood and trash cans for any leftover metal.

• Certain items needed by American troops overseas like gasoline, coffee, sugar, cheese, and meat were rationed here in America.

Page 7: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

More HelpMore Help• To make sure troops had enough meat, many

Americans endured “meatless Tuesdays.”• 20 million men and women planted victory

gardens from which much many soldiers received their vegetables and fruits during the war.

• Many Americans—from schoolchildren to corporations—bought war bonds to fund the war.

• Even some labor unions promised not to go on strike since a halt in production could impact the war effort overseas.

Page 8: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Women in the War Women in the War EffortEffort

• With a shortage of men working because they were overseas fighting, America needed six million more women to “roll up their sleeves” and take jobs in war-related industries and factories.

• This was highly contradictory since American society had always preached that women were responsible for the home and family, nothing else.

• Before the war, women who had jobs were predominantly young and single.

• In contrast, during the war, 75% of working women were married, 65% were over the age of 35, and 33% had children who were at least 14.

Page 9: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Women at WorkWomen at Work• Women took jobs as crane operators, locomotive

greasers, tank welders, and warship builders.• “Rosie the Riveter” with her bulging muscles and tools

in hand, became the iconic symbol of female factory workers.

• When the war came to an end, most workers left their jobs for the home, but some kept their jobs since it provided them with more confidence and income.

• Overall, women gained a new sense of their potential because of their tremendous contribution to the war effort.

• One female worker claimed that her soldier husband left her as a “shrinking violet and came home to a very strong oak tree.”

Page 10: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Since many married mothers went to work outside the home, what problems do you think it caused in American society?

Page 11: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Fighting the Enemy, Fighting the Enemy, Fighting for Equal Fighting for Equal

RightsRights• Black leaders and newspapers called WWII the

“Double V campaign” because it was an opportunity to serve America while simultaneously proving they deserved equal rights at home—a double victory.

• Perhaps the most influential African American of his time, A. Philip Randolph—the president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—called for a “thundering march” of 100,000 black workers to march on Washington D.C. “to wake up and shock White America.”

• Randolph warned FDR that if the armed forces and war industries continued to discriminate against blacks that America would have some serious problems on their hands.

Page 12: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Executive Order 8802Executive Order 8802• In response to Randolph’s demand, FDR issued

Executive Order 8802, which banned discriminatory employment practices by federal agencies and companies involved in producing war goods.

• As a result, over 2 million African Americans found jobs in factories and the civil service sector.

• Prior to the war, the average black was making $457 a year.

• After the way , the average black was making $1,976 a year.

Page 13: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Discrimination during Discrimination during the Warthe War

• The great majority of blacks, however, served throughout the war in segregated units that were led by white commanders.

• A vast majority of African American troops were given menial jobs like mess boys and janitors.

• Overt discrimination during the war led to over fifty black soldiers being killed by their fellow white comrades.

• Race riots at home in major cities erupted during the war.

• In Detroit, a bloody riot broke out when white mobs assaulted blacks riding on trolleys or sitting in movie theaters. Blacks retaliated by vandalizing white stores.

• After the riot was finished, 25 blacks and 9 whites were dead and $2 million worth of property was destroyed.

Page 14: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Diversity in the WarDiversity in the War• More than 25,000 Native Americans served during the

war.• Navajo “code talkers” confused the Japanese enemy

by using Navajo language to relay America’s most secretive messages.

• To relieve labor shortages in agriculture, the U.S. government struck a deal with Mexican short-term workers to work on farms in return for decent wages and living conditions, including medical care. These promises, however, were rarely upheld since these Mexican workers could be deported on a whim.

• But unlike African Americans, Mexicans served without segregation and many were known to win numerous medals for their courage and efforts in battle.

Page 15: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Discrimination against Discrimination against the Japanesethe Japanese

• More than any other minority group in the war, the Japanese suffered the most.

• Well over 100,000 people of Japanese descent were placed in internment camps away from American society.

• After Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor, many whites—especially on the West Coast—became increasingly violent and upset with the Japanese living among them.

• One barber on the West Coast advertised “free shave for Japs, not responsible for accidents.”

Page 16: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Executive Order 9066Executive Order 9066• Giving into pressure from the West Coast, FDR issued

Executive Order 9066, which authorized the relocation of individuals thought to be a threat to America.

• Even though no Japanese-American citizen was ever arrested for spying or being disloyal to the U.S. all Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were placed in internment camps.

• These Japanese-Americans were forced to quickly sell their property and homes before they were relocated, which resulted in them losing $2 billion in property.

• What was ironic about Executive Order 9066 was that many male Japanese-American soldiers signed up to fight for America while the American government imprisoned their wives and children.

• The 442nd Infantry Unit—an all Japanese-American regiment—was one of the most highly decorated units of all-time, but many of their family members were placed in these camps.

Page 17: WWII: Mobilizing for War, Mobilizing the American People

Internment CampsInternment Camps• Once rounded up, the Japanese-Americans were

tagged with numbers and herded into these barb wired camps in the middle of nowhere.

• At the time, few Americans outside the internment camps protested the forced encampment of the Japanese, claiming it was necessary for the safety of America.

• By 1944, the federal government gradually began to release the prisoners.

• In 1982, the federal government concluded in a special report that the internment of the Japanese was not necessary and in 1988 Congress decided to pay each surviving internee $20,000 in compensation.