War Production Cecelia McCann, Emily Carnevale, Cole Slavitt, Emily Goldberg, Deanna Moschella, Jonathan Kui, Ally Royce

Changed American Industry! Instead of manufacturing consumer goods, factories produced products that would benefit war “The average Ford car had some 15,000 parts. The B-24 Liberator long-range bomber had 1,550,000. One came off the line every 63 minutes.”

Goals for the Nation’s Factories! President Roosevelt wanted factories to produce: ● 60,000 aircrafts in 1942 and 125,000 in 1943 ● 120,000 tanks ● 55,000 antiaircraft guns In order to have the government involved they created the War Production Board in 1942 and the Office of War Mobilization in “We must out-produce them overwhelmingly, so that there can be no question of our ability to provide a crushing superiority of equipment in any theatre of the world war.” – Franklin D Roosevelt

Raising Money for War! Government techniques: ● American people were called to ration certain commodities, creating more tax revenue by decreasing the personal exemption ● Selling government war bonds in individuals and financial institutions These methods kept inflation under control

Labor Unions! ●As war production increased= HIGH DEMAND, LOW SUPPLY ●Tensions were high between labor unions, but felt the need to protect workers’ rights ●Citizens were outraged to hear about any work stoppages, and that the labor unions could not stop the strikes despite the “no-strike pledges” each person had taken 1943: The United Mine Workers ●Workers went on strike and newspapers condemned the miners as traitors JUNE 25, 1943: War Labor Disputes Act ●Authorized the President to take over plants needed for war production that had stopped works b/c of disputes

Minorities in the Workforce! “Eight million women stepped into the workforce and ethnic groups such as African Americans and Latinos found job opportunities as never before.”

Important Cities! ● Before the war Mobile, Alabama acted as a hub for job hunters o Known for:  Alumina production  Ship production (massive ports and workforce) ● Another city that helped find people jobs was Waterbury, Connecticut o Known for:  Creating cartridge clips for the Springfield rifle (American Brass Company )  Brass rods, sheets and tubes  Cartridge cases, mortar shells, small caliber bullets  Components used in the atomic bomb Chase Brass and Copper Company