WWII and the Homefront- a fight for survival and freedom against facscist and militaristic ideologies

Pearl Harbor

Increased Gov’t Control While Mobilizing Our Economy to Help Our Allies… National War Labor Board- allowed negotiation over benefits, but no strikes allowed Office of Price Administration- regulated civilian life (fought inflation, rationed food, etc) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W2jkgs-ugs War Production Board- Manage war industries: rationed fuel and other vital war supplies Office of War Mobilization- set production priorities Dept. of Treasury- Financing the war Increased income tax Sold war bonds Office of Scientific Research and Development-sonar, penicillin, atom bomb

Economic Effects…

Economic Effects…

People at Home Women- 6 million of 18 million factory workers were women 200,000 served in noncombatant roles WAC- Women’s Auxillary Corp WASP- Women’s Airforce Service Pilots General Douglas MacArthur caled the WACs “my best soldiers,” adding that they worked harder, complained less, and were better disciplined than the men. War involvement helped advance the position of women in society Watch women at work video on youtube

African Americans 2nd Great Migration? African-Americans moved north for jobs (1.5 million!) 1 million served in armed forces, segregated unit known as “Buffalo Soliders” (video on youtube) Double V Slogan-V for Victory at war, V for Victory for Equality! 1943 Detroit and NYC Riots against African American workers

Mexican Americans-Bracero program Mexican Farm Law Program, August 1942 “Decent living conditions” and .30/hour 1942-1964 4.6M Worked in defense industries 300,000 served in armed forces Much discrimination (watch youtube video) led to riots b/w White sailors against Mexican Americans in LA, known as Zoot Suit Riots (watch youtube video)

Native Americans Code Talkers 25,000 served- changed landscape of reservations sent messages to Pacific theatre in Navajo-a complex, unwritten language-undecipherable 540 Navajo actively participated in code talking Took part in every offensive US launched in Pacific from 1942-1945 “Were it not for the Navajo code talkers, we would never have been able to take Iwo Jima”-Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division Watch youtube video

Japanese-American Internment, 1942 Executive Order 9066: Anyone who looked lived in California/Oregon/Washington who looked East Asian was rounded up into camps. 110,000 people were relocated, the majority of them born in America (some had even served in the army)

Aerial view of a Japanese Internment camp

1988 Legislation Japanese American Reparation Act Signed by Reagan $20,000 given to each surviving detainee 1990 President Bush Sr. signed a formal apology to Japanese Americans

War Propaganda- Even better than before!

Rosie the Riveter- A Cultural Icon

A Gold Star on a service flag signifies a family member who has died in war.

The US and the Holocaust… Americans had access to reliable information about the Nazi regime’s persecution of Jews as it happened, but most could not imagine that a mass murder campaign was possible. Though most Americans sympathized with the plight of European Jews, assisting refugees and rescuing the victims of Nazism never became a national priority. Key Facts: Domestic concerns took precedence prevalent antisemitism and racism shaped Americans’ responses to Nazism and willingness to aid European Jews prioritized military victory over humanitarian considerations Saving Jews targeted for murder by the Nazi regime and its collaborators was not the Allies’ wartime aim. United States admitted between 180,000 and 225,000 refugees who were fleeing Nazi persecution between 1933 and 1945-thousands more could have been granted US immigration visas had the quotas been filled during this period.

The US and the Holocaust… economic devastation with a commitment to neutrality and deeply held prejudices against immigrants, limited Americans’ willingness to welcome refugees. Neither President FDR’s administration nor the US Congress adjusted the complicated and bureaucratic immigration process to aid the hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to flee Europe. US State Department implemented new restrictive measures making it more difficult for immigrants’ to enter the United States. US did admit more refugees fleeing Nazism than any other nation in the world. The United States joined the Allies’ fight against the Axis power (Germany, Italy, and Japan) in World War II to defend democracy, not to rescue Jewish victims of the Nazi regime. In January 1944 War Refugee board created charged with trying to rescue and provide relief for Jews and other minorities who were targeted by the Nazis. During the final year of the war, US rescue efforts saved tens of thousands of lives.

Re-election…AGAIN! 53% popular vote, FDR elected for 4th term in 1944 Health was already failing (high blood pressure led to organ failure) Died April 12, 1945 Left V.P. Harry S. Truman to end the war…

How did WW2 impact Americans?