US moves toward War Great Arsenal of Democracy

US moves toward War

“Great Arsenal of Democracy” § Can’t tame a tiger to a kitten by petting it § US intends to use force § Lend-Lease/Cash-Carry § Aid to USSR and Stalin § 1941 -Hitler breaks agreement and attacks USSR § FDR ‘enemy of an enemy is a friend’ § Churchill- would work with devil himself

Inching toward an Allied power § Atlantic Charter-FDR won’t declare war, but lets Brit know who the US supports § U. S. destroyer Greer shot at by Germans § Shoot on sight § Germany sinks Reuben James § “America has been attacked. The shooting has started. And history has recorded who fired the first shot. ”

Japan § Tojo- control of East Asia possible as colonies fall § US only remaining hurdle § US cuts trade from Japan after Indochina attacked § Peace talks § Tojo and emperor Hirohito discuss remaining at peace with US § Tojo soon begins planning attack, however

Pearl Harbor § US aware of attack, but not date § Talks of peace halt on Dec. 6 § Early the next morning, attacks begin on Pearl Harbor § Why? ? ?

The attack § 180+ Japanese planes § Air raid on Pearl Harbor, this is not a drill § Nearly an hour ½ of attacks w/o antiaircraft fire…why? § Sunday morning § Some areas prepping for inspection § Confused as drill § Message not taken seriously enough

§ By 9: 30 am attack was over § 2, 403 killed and 1, 178 wounded § 21 ships damaged or sunk and more than 300 aircraft damaged or destroyed § Aircraft carriers were at sea, luckily for US § Amounts to all of the losses suffered by the Navy from WWI

Reaction § Outrage and panic § “I never wanted to fight this war on two fronts” FDR § Addressed congress on Dec 8 - delivers “a date that will live infamy” speech § Declaration of war approved for war on Japan § Three days later, Ger and Italy declare on US

Joining the war Effort § Americans joined the war effort in several ways § Choice § Men-enlisted in the military (roughly 5 million) § Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) § Women soldiers w/ a salary-nurses, pilots, office jobs, ambulance drivers § Required § Draft-10 million men needed for war effort § All recruits then trained for 8 weeks

Minorities § Fighting for the US § Some minorities saw this as fruitless, why fight for a nation that will not treat them as a citizen when they return, if they return § “Here lies a black man killed fighting a yellow man for the protection of a white man. ”

Minorities Cont. § 300, 000 Mexican Americans would fight in the war § 13, 000 and 33, 000 Chinese and Japanese Americans, respectively, became GIs § Japanese used as translators § 25, 000 N. Americans (800 women) enlisted § “We would not need the Selective Service Act if we all volunteered like Indians. ”

Industry § Gov’t § Cars taken off the market-victory trim § Auto plants convert to tanks, planes, etc § Pencil and soda-pop factories now produce bombs and ammunition § FDR-executive order to hire more minorities § Caused by A. Philip Randolph’s march on Washington, DC with 100, 000 African Americans § 75% of companies hired zero minorities before the war

§ Manhattan Project § Creates hundreds to thousands of jobs for scientists and laborers alike § Will lead to creation of the atom bomb as well § Office of Price Admin. § Freezes prices on goods to control wartime inflation § War Production Board § Controlled the switch of industries to wartime

Minorities in Industry § Increase in minorities in the workforce due to lack of white, males § Women still hired more often than minority workers § Early on, both groups thought to be unfit for the physical labor-many predicted too few workers § By 1941 there were 18 million working in the US and climbing

Government and people § Groups had to work together § War bonds § Money given to the government from its citizens. The money is then paid back to the buyer at a decided date. Good idea? § Rationing § Similar to the stoppage of cars, food were rationed with food allotments per family § People saw this as a way to do their part- Victory Gardens