Japanese Internment Camps in America On February 19, 1942, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. -120,000 people of Japanese descent living in the US were removed from their homes and placed in interment camps -fear of Japanese spies among them -racism -2/3 were American citizens -1/2 were children -none had ever shown disloyalty to the U.S. -some families separated **During the entire war only ten people were convicted of spying for Japan and these were all Caucasian.

-Japanese Americans tried hard to show loyalty to the U.S. -Had to sell lands cheap for a quick sale or leave them -Many came home to destroyed or stolen property -Camps were located in remote, dry areas with poor soil

442nd Regimental Combat Team -The most decorated unit for its size and length of service in American military history. -consisted on Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans) -faced discrimination -many fought while families were locked in the internment camps

-421 volunteer Navajo from reservations -Marines "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.“ -Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer Navajo Code Talkers -421 volunteer Navajo from reservations -Marines -involved in every U.S. offensive assault in the Pacific from 1942-45 -created a complicated code based on the Navajo language -also used in Korean War -kept secret until 1968 -Japanese never broke the code -only spoken code in the world never broken -Example: "besh- lo" (iron fish) meant "submarine,“ "dah-he- tih-hi" (hummingbird) meant "fighter plane" "debeh-li-zine" (black street) meant "squad."

Tuskegee Airmen -First black military aviators -flew with distinction -earned over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses -996 pilots, and 15,500 combat men -helped pave way for integration of armed forces by President Harry Truman in 1948.

-7 code talkers die in combat -none are ever captured -all had a body guard to protect them from others in their own group because they sometimes looked Japanese -all were denied their benefits from the G.I. Bill because they lived on a reservation which as “federal” lands.

Home Front - Minorities -Great Migration continues north and west -many defense industries would not hire blacks -a few would hire blacks for only menial jobs -As the war progressed, severe labor shortages ultimately brought African-Americans into war industries. -faced hostilities from employers and whites

The Home front - Women **Women go to Work Again -fill vacancies in all areas -Increased Divorce Rates -War Widows -”latchkey” kids- -home alone -juvenile delinquency, disease, truancy rose dramatically -daycare centers emerged

Women In the Service Women’s Army Corps (WACS) (WAAC) women's branch of the United States Army Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES) Women’s branch of the United States Navy

Rosie the Riveter While the image of the woman worker was important during the war, the prewar image of women as wives and mothers by no means disappeared. Mainstream society accepted temporary changes brought about by a war, but considered them undesirable on a permanent basis. The public reminded women that their greatest asset was their ability to take care of their homes and that career women would not find a husband.

Bracero (Mexican) workers Bracero Program made because of need for manual labor in WWII -started with a few hundred Mexican workers to harvest sugar beets in California -spread over most of the U.S. -also brought Mexican workers for unskilled railroad jobs -By 1945, there were 75,000 in railroad system and 50,000 in ag -Railroad program ended with end of WWII -Ag program lasted until 1964

The Home front - rationing The government also forced Americans to ration certain goods. Gasoline, rubber, metal, sugar, butter and meat. Many, even children, collected scrap materials to give to the war effort. Rationing allowed the soldiers to have the necessary supplies needed in war. People were issued ration books that limited what they could buy. This and other measures help fund the war.