Mobilizing for War Life on the Home front

Mobilizing for War Life on the Home front 25. 1 & 25. 3

AMERICA & WORLD WAR II (1941 -1945) • The United States entered World War II unwillingly and largely unprepared. The American people, however, quickly banded together to transform the American economy into the most productive and efficient war-making machine in the world. American forces turned the tide in Europe and the Pacific, and they played a crucial role in the defeat of Germany, Italy, and Japan. OBJECTIVES • Explain how the United States mobilized its economy. • Describe the issues involved in raising an American army. • Describe how the wartime economy created opportunities for women and minorities. • Discuss how Americans coped with shortages and rapidly rising prices. • Compare to WWI mobilization.

Why was the U. S. able to expand its war production so quickly after the attack on Pearl Harbor? • The gov. signed costplus contracts agreeing to pay a company whatever the manufacturing cost, plus a guaranteed % of the costs as profit. • The Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) made loans to help companies with the cost of converting to war production. Mobilizing for WWII finally puts an end to the Great Depression 19 million new jobs & nearly doubles avg. family income

AMERICAN INDUSTRY • Automobile factories turned to the production of trucks, jeeps, & tanks − critical because the country that could move its troops and supplies the quickest usually won the battle − also produced nearly 1/3 of the military equipment that was manufactured during the war • Liberty ships

BUILDING AN ARMY • After the fall of France, the Selective Service and Training Act was a plan for the 1 st peacetime draft in American history • “G. I. ” = gov issue label on clothing • “how do I load this thing? ” − American armed forces were made up of recruits who had almost no military experience & were given little training

“DOUBLE V” CAMPAIGN • Segregated army • African Americans not given honorable positions in combat − Exception: Tuskegee Airmen • Combined patriotism + protest • African Americans support the war in order to achieve a double victory: victory over Hitler’s racism abroad & America’s racism at home − disenfranchised http: //www. youtube. com/watc h? v=4 C 7 IEZih. Ho. E&noredirect =1

WOMEN JOIN IN • 1 st time women allowed in the military: Congress established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in 1942 • By 1943 women became part of the regular army, but were not allowed in combat

DAILY LIFE IN WARTIME AMERICA • Wage & price controls • Blue points & red points • Victory gardens & scrap drives • Paying for the war – E bonds

HOME FRONT: WOMEN & MINORITIES • Gain jobs (more than just white men can fill) − “Rosie the Riveter” − A. Philip Randolph & Fair Employment Practices Commission to enforce Executive Order 8802 − Bracero Program – Mexicans harvest in SW • Face much discrimination − − Housing crisis Racism violence Zoot Suit Riots (vs. victory suit) Japanese Internment

HOME FRONT: JAPANESE AMERICANS • Pearl Harbor attack deprive Japanese Americans rights − Attack businesses/homes, denied food/$, rumored as spies, evacuated and relocated to 10 internment camps – lost all property • Korematsu v. U. S. • Fighting for America as soldiers • Reagan apology in 1988 & $20, 000 to surviving Japanese Americans who had been interned