America in World War II ( ) Chapter 35

A. Questions of War Who to go after 1 st ? Answer: Germany 1 st, then Japan As in World War I, U.S. faced with question of how to mobilize Japanese loyalty? Many Japanese Americans placed in Internment Camps such as Manzanar Korematsu v. U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of internment (One more example of U.S. taking away liberties during war time)

B. Mobilizing for War War crisis pulls U.S. out of depression War Production Board – Created insure that all materials went to war effort Farmers produce record-breaking crops (Disney cartoons discussed) Prices controlled through Office of Price Administration 1943, Smith-Connally Anti-strike Act authorized gov’t to seized coal mines and briefly railroads 15 million men drafted, 216,000 women serve in non-combat roles U.S. the Arsenal of Democracy

Mobilization continued… Bracero Program , thousands of Mexican agricultural workers brought to U.S. (American men fighting in War) 6 million women worked in factories, many stayed on after war, some forced out Rosie the Riveter a symbol of feminine power Many African Americans move north for work FDR forbids discrimination in the work place, creates Fair Employment Practices Commission to monitor In the South, gov’t created industrial facilities for wartime production Many Native Americans served in military, such as Navajo Code Talkers Such migration led to race riots

C. On the Homefront and Costs U.S. economy reinvigorated, Americans hav jobs and money, spend like crazy Businesses making money Government did ration certain commodities such as meat Income taxes raised, but still mostly the wealthy felt the pinch Funds raised through War Bonds Overall, war cost $330 Billion

D. Important Battles (Asian Theater) Battle of the Coral Sea – Stopped Japanese advance, saved Australia Battle of Midway – Destroyed all four Japanese aircraft carriers, turning point in Pacific Kamikaze – Japanese suicide pilots Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa (March-June 1945) - Japanese guerrilla fighting ruthless, many U.S. casualties, cause us to question whether or not to invade Japan

E. Important Battles (European Theater U-boats wreaking havoc until U.S. breaks the Enigma Code – Complex German code system which allowed us to gain knowledge of U-boat locations Battle of Stalingrad Hitler’s armies suffer massive defeat, a turning point in Europe Operation Torch Allied (British, French, U.S.) invasion of N. Africa Teheran Conference – Soviets attack Germany from East, British and U.S. from the West Operation Overlord - Allied invasion of Normandy, France June 6, 1944 (D-Day)

F. Election of 1944 Thomas E. Dewey (R) against FDR (D) FDR Wins fourth term 432 to 99 electoral votes

G. The End of War (Europe) March 1945, Russian and American forces have invade Berlin Holocaust uncovered as German-controlled territory was liberated Upon soviet invasion of Eastern Berlin, Hitler commits suicide April 30 May 7, 1945, Germans surrender V-E Day, (Victory in Europe)

H. End of War (Japan) Fears of Germany caused U.S. to research creation of Atomic Weapons (Manhattan Project) Fear of invasion of Japan, U.S. believes heavy casualities Other option= Atomic Weapons August 6, 1945 Hiroshima destroyed by atomic bomb Japanese did not surrender so on August 8, 2 nd bomb dropped on Nagasaki Historical question: Did we need to use atomic weapons on Japan to force them to surrender? Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945