The War at Home and the Holocaust in Europe Unit 6, Section 3 The War at Home and the Holocaust in Europe

America Mobilizes After Pearl Harbor, Americans quickly mobilized for war 5 million volunteers, Selective Service Act drafts another 10 million into service Women serve in Women’s Auxiliary Corps (non-combat roles) African Americans served in segregated units Tuskegee Airmen most famous

Tuskegee Airmen in Italy, 1945 trailer

Minorities Serve the Nation 300,000 Mexican Americans 1,000,000 African Americans 50,000 Asian Americans 25,000 Native Americans Windtalkers Fought in World War II.

Industry and Paying for the War American industry grows to unprecedented level to support war effort – “production miracle” War Production Board – organized industrial production for the war Rationing became a way of life for the nation Office of Price Administration – regulated prices and inflation War bonds issued Personal income tax rates increased

Labor Pitches In 6 million women enter the workforce Replacing men in industrial jobs; producing products needed for war effort Rosie the Riveter as symbol Opportunities afforded to African Americans, but still faced discrimination

Mobilizing Scientists OSRD is created to get scientists involved in war effort Secret development of Atomic Bomb – the Manhattan Project Carried out in labs across the country Led by J. Robert Oppenheimer

Discrimination at Home Japanese Internment – Seen as a threat, Japanese Americans interned in camps-Smithsonian clip Korematsu v. United States upholds decision African-Americans CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)founded in 1942 Latinos Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles reflect racial tensions in city

Persecution of Jews in Europe While American mobilizes, Jewish people were being murdered in Europe Long standing Anti-Jewish sentiment in Europe; Hitler scapegoats Jews for German problems Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, outlines his plans Nuremberg Laws of 1935 take away Jewish civil rights, forced to wear yellow star 1938, Kristallnacht, Nazis destroy Jewish property, thousands are arrested Jewish refugees try to flee, but Anti-Semitism across the world (including U.S.) makes it difficult

Final Solution Nazi policy of genocide against the Jewish people Jews relocated to ghettos, sent to Concentration Camps across Europe where they were enslaved or murdered outright Notorious camps at Aushchwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau

The Final Stage Mass Exterminations In 1941, six death camps were built in Poland These death camps had gas chambers that could kill 12,000 people a day. Most Jews were sent to concentration camps where they suffered hunger, illness, overwork, torture & death

To accomplish the Final Solution, the Nazis arrested people they identified as “enemies of the state” condemning this people to slavery & death. In addition to Jews, the Nazis rounded up political opponents (Communists, Socialists, and Liberals), Gypsies, Freemasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals ,the disabled & the terminally ill.

The Holocaust Over 6 million Jews and other “non-desirables” are killed by the Nazis Some camps were liberated by American or Russian troops as war progressed Survivors often lost entire families Some Jews were hidden by sympathetic peoples in Europe Artifact study

Aftermath Questions about how much German people knew about Holocaust Questions about how much Allies knew about what was happening in Europe

Some Jews however, were saved Survivors Some Jews however, were saved Ordinary people sometimes risked their own lives to save Jews Some Jews even survived the concentration camps, Elie Wiesel who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 is a survivor of Auschwitz. Passed away in 2016. Revisits Auschwitz