Life on the Home Front Chapter 14 Section 3

Effects of WWII at Home World War II had a positive effect on American society. The war finally put an end to the Depression. By mobilizing for war over 19 million were created and nearly doubled the average family’s income.

Effects of WWII at Home With so many men fighting in the war, the wartime plants needed to find someone else to work. Women will fill in for the men in jobs that traditionally had been exclusively for men.

Effects of WWII at Home Although the government hired nearly 4 million women for mostly clerical jobs, it was the women in the factories who captured the public’s imagination. The great symbol of the campaign to hire women was “Rosie the Riveter”

Effects of WWII at Home Although most women left the factories after the war, their success permanently changed American attitudes about women in the workplace.

Effects on Japanese in America When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, many West Coast Americans turned their anger against Japanese Americans. Mobs attacked Japanese American businesses and homes. Banks would not cash their checks, and grocers refused to sell them food.

Effects on Japanese in America Newspapers printed rumors about Japanese spies in the American community. Members of Congress, mayors, and many business and labor leaders demanded that all people of Japanese ancestry be removed from the West Coast. They did not believe Japanese Americans would remain loyal to the U.S.

Effects on Japanese in America In 1942 President Roosevelt gave in to pressure and signed an order allowing the War Department to declare any part of the U.S. to be a military zone and to remove anybody they wanted from that zone.

Effects on Japanese in America The Japanese were then evacuated from the West Coast and placed in 10 internment camps.

Effects on Japanese in America Not all Japanese went peacefully. In the court case of Korematsu v. the U.S., the Supreme Court ruled that the relocation was constitutional because it was based not on race, but on “military urgency.”

Daily Life Blue Points/Red Points The demand for raw materials and supplies created shortages. The Office of Price Administration (OPA) began rationing, or limiting the availability of, many products to make sure enough were available for military use.

Daily Life Meat and sugar were rationed to provide enough for the army. To save gasoline and tires, gasoline was rationed, driving was restricted, and the speed limit was set at 35 miles per hour.

Daily Life Every month each household would pick up a book of ration coupons. Blue coupons (called blue points) controlled processed foods. Red coupons (red points) controlled meats, fats, and oils.

Daily Life When people bought food, they also had to give enough coupon points to cover their purchase.

Daily Life Victory Gardens Americans also planted gardens to produce more food for the war effort. The government encouraged victory gardens by praising them in films, pamphlets, and official statements.

Daily Life Some raw materials were so vital to the war effort that the government organized scrap drives. Americans collected spare rubber, tin, aluminum, and steel.