A Production Miracle Ms. Ha Ch. 17 Sec. 1 Pages: 564-568
I. U.S. Industrial Response A. Automobile production ends 1. Feb. 1942 2. Factories=retooled 3. War production plants
B. Plants now produce: 1. Tanks 2. Planes 3. Boats 4. War vehicles
C. Shipyards & defense plants 1. (1942) Seven shipyards built 2. “Liberty ships”: cargo carriers 3. Tankers 4. Small aircraft carriers
II. Labor Contribution A. Employed: 18 million workers 1. New: 6+ million women 2. Welded & riveted 3. Paid 60% of wages a man doing the same job made
B. Minorities 1. Hired 2 million 2. Strong prejudice at first 3. F.D.R. : executive order 4. End discrimination!
C. Asa Philip Randolph 1. Famous A.A. labor leader 2. March on D.C. 3. Forced F.D.R. to respond 4. Randolph won!
III. Scientists A. Office of Scientific Research (OSRD) 1. F.D.R. created it 2. New technology
B. Creations: 1. Radar & sonar improves 2. Pesticide DDT:fight insects 3. American soldiers: almost free of body lice 4. Antibiotic: penicillin
C. Albert Einstein 1. Left Germany (1933) 2. Wrote F.D.R. 3. Told him about German atomic bomb 4. Had split uranium atoms
D. “Manhattan Project” 1. Columbia University in Manhattan 2. Massive research in 1942 3. Goal: build an atomic bomb
IV. Federal Government Control A. Inflation 1. F.D.R. : price freeze 2. Raised income tax 3. Inflation under control 4. Encouraged to buy war bonds
B. War Production Board (WPB) 1. Nationwide drives a. Scrap iron b. Tin Cans c. Paper d. Rags
C. Rationing 1. Fixed allotment of goods 2. Ration books: coupons
3. Scarce goods: a. Meat b. Shoes c. Sugar d. Coffee e. Gasoline
4. “Victory Gardens” 1. U.S. citizens 2. Grow their own vegetables