Life on the Home Front CHAPTER 20, SECTION 3

Women and Minorities Gain Ground The war put an end to the Great Depression 19 million new jobs were created At the beginning of the War, American Defense Factories wanted to hire white men Because many men were fighting in the War, employers began to recruit women and minorities

Women in Defense Plants “Rosie the Riveter” During the Great Depression, it was believed that most married women should not work outside the home With the War, there was a need for more workers Eventually 2.5 million women worked in shipyards, aircraft factories, and other manufacturing plants

Rosie the Riveter

African Americans Demand War Work Although factories were hiring women, they resisted hiring African Americans A. Philip Randolph – push for hiring African Americans Executive Order 8802 – made it illegal to discriminate for employment

Mexicans Become Farmers Bracero Program 1942 – arranged for Mexican farmworkers to help in the harvest. Over 200,000 Mexicans came to the US to help Program ended in 1962

Home Front Issues The Housing Crisis ◦Where to put the new workers ◦Government allocated $1.2 billon to build public housing, schools, and community centers ◦Not the best, but better than nothing ◦Nearly 2 million people lived in government housing

Home Front Issues Racism Explodes into Violence ◦Due to “Great Migration” ◦Detroit, 1943, fights erupted between gangs of white and African American teenage girls ◦These fights triggered others and erupted into a full scale riot across the city

Home Front Issues Zoot Suit Riots ◦Racism against Mexican Americans ◦Zoot Suits and Ducktails ◦Zoot suit seemed unpatriotic due to the need to save fabric for the war. ◦Los Angeles, 1943, soldiers and sailors attacked a Mexican American neighborhood

Home Front Issues Japanese American Relocation ◦Pearl Harbor reaction ◦Fear of spies ◦Many sent to Relocation Camps ◦Executive Order 9066 – established military zones ◦Komrematsu v. United States, 1944 – declared Relocation unconstitutional ◦By 1945, the government began releasing Japanese Americans from Camps

The U.S. Office of War Information What is it? ◦The U.S. government agency responsible for war news, strengthening patriotism, warned of foreign imposters in the U.S. and recruited women for the war effort. What did it do? ◦Used such things like radio broadcast and posters to develop support for the war. Why do YOU think it would be necessary to have support at home during wartime?

Propaganda What is Propaganda? ◦Information, especially of a biased and sometimes misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. ◦Fear, Inspiration, Responsibility ◦What is propaganda to you?

Propaganda Today

Propaganda Reasons for propaganda by the War Office ◦The U.S. needed more workers.

War Bonds What is a war bond? ◦War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries. Why was there a need for war bonds?

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