How did WWII affect Americans at Home?

V-Mail – Victory Mail

American involvement in World War II brought an end to the Great Depression. Factories and workers were needed to produce goods to win the war.

The war affected every aspect of American life.

Women During WWII Thousands of American women took jobs in defense plants during the war. Thousands of American women took jobs in defense plants during the war.

Rosie the Riveter was a symbol of all American women in the war effort at home. Rosie the Riveter was a symbol of all American women in the war effort at home.

Link to song below

“Rosie the Riveter” While other girls attend their fav’rite cocktail bar Sipping Martinis, munching caviar There’s a girl who’s really putting them to shame Rosie is her name All the day long whether rain or shine She’s a part of the assembly line She’s making history, working for victory Rosie the Riveter Keeps a sharp lookout for sabotage Sitting up there on the fuselage That little frail can do more than a male will do Rosie the Riveter Rosie’s got a boyfriend, Charlie Charlie, he’s a Marine Rosie is protecting Charlie Working overtime on the riveting machine When they gave her a production “E” She was as proud as a girl could be There’s something true about Red, white, and blue about Rosie the Riveter Everyone stops to admire the scene Rosie at work on the B-Nineteen She’s never twittery, nervous or jittery Rosie the Riveter What if she’s smeared full of oil and grease Doing her bit for the old Lend Lease She keeps the gang around They love to hang around Rosie the Riveter Rosie buys a lot of war bonds That girl really has sense Wishes she could purchase more bonds Putting all her cash into national defense Senator Jones who is “in the know” Shouted these words on the radio Berlin will hear about Moscow will cheer about Rosie the Riveter!

Price Controls & Rationing

Americans were asked to make sacrifices to support the war by conserving and rationing resources.

Breaking Down Racial Barriers The need for temporary workers broke down some of the racial barriers.

The U.S. needed everyone’s help. African Americans were hired to work in places like defense plants making war materials, planes, and ships.

Although discrimination continued, many African Americans bravely served in the armed forces.

The first African-American fighter pilots in the U.S. Air Force were nicknamed the “Red Tails.” Redtail veterans Thomas Austin, Roy Richardson, and Edward Lunda

Many Japanese Americans served in the armed forces. Japanese Americans

However, many Japanese were treated with distrust and prejudice after the Pearl Harbor attack.

Listen to radio and TV broadcasts

Japanese Internment Camps

Many Japanese Americans many were forced into internment camps.

My Plea Oh God, I pray that I may bear a cross To set my people free, That I may help to take good-will across An understanding sea. Oh, God, I pray that someday every race May stand on equal plane And prejudice will find no dwelling place In a peace that all may gain. -Written By Mary Matsuzawa, a child of the Japanese Internment Camps.

On August 10, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed HR442 into law. Three years later, on October 9, 1991, letters of formal apology and checks from the United States government were issued to each of the living survivors of internment.

U.S. Assistant Deputy Attorney General James Turner presenting a redress check to an Issei* man, 105 years old, Oct. 1990, Seattle, Washington. *Issei refers to the Japanese family members first to immigrate. Their children born in the new country are referred to as Nisei (second generation), and their grandchildren are Sansei (third generation).

Memorial at the site of a Japanese Internment Camp

President Roosevelt was a gifted communicator. On January 6, 1941, he addressed Congress, delivering the historic "Four Freedoms" speech. At a time when Western Europe lay under Nazi domination, Roosevelt presented a vision in which the American ideals of individual liberties were extended throughout the world. Alerting Congress and the nation to the necessity of war, Roosevelt articulated the ideological aims of the conflict. Eloquently, he appealed to Americans` most profound beliefs about freedom. The speech so inspired illustrator Norman Rockwell that he created a series of paintings on the "Four Freedoms" theme. In the series, he translated abstract concepts of freedom into four scenes of everyday American life. Although the Government initially rejected Rockwell`s offer to create paintings on the "Four Freedoms" theme, the images were publicly circulated when The Saturday Evening Post, one of the nation`s most popular magazines, commissioned and reproduced the paintings. After winning public approval, the paintings served as the centerpiece of a massive U.S. war bond drive and were put into service to help explain the war`s aims.

“We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want... everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear... anywhere in the world.” --President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Message to Congress, January 6, 1941 You can hear this excerpt from President Roosevelt`s addresshear this excerpt

Home Front U.S.A. – Video (ANSWERS) From “New Deal” to “Win the War”

Introduction: One month after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt proclaims that victory over the aggressor nations is now our countries highest priority. FDR’s “impossible” 1942 production goals of 60,000 aircraft; 45,000 tanks; 20,000 antiaircraft guns; and 8,000,000 tons of shipping are intended to strike fear into the enemy and to mobilize the home front. “Victory” becomes the catchword behind America’s war aims – and the word “sacrifice” suddenly has a new meaning.

Japanese-American Internment Camps: 1.On February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signs executive order 9066 which requires the removal of all Japanese-Americans from the Pacific coast. 2.With one broad stroke, the civil liberties of over 100,000 American citizens are shattered. 3.Japanese-Americans are given 7-10 days to pack up or sell their belongings and report to the “War Relocation Authority.” From there, they will be transported to the Santa Ana Raceway and later internment camps where they will spend the duration of the war.

4. Ten internment camps stretching from Death Valley, California to Arkansas will house the over 100,000 Japanese- Americans. 5. On August 15, 1945 the Allies celebrated V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day) and the Japanese-American internment camps are emptied. Each family received $ Forty years after the end of WWII the United States congress formally announced that the internment of Japanese-Americans was a mistake.

Civil Defense: 1.After the United States declared war, many American join the “Civil Defense Corps” to help protect fellow citizens in their homes and communities. 2.The Civil Defense’s main duties included: enforcement of blackouts, blacking out and taping glass windows, conducting air raid drills, learning to out fires, and passing out gas masks, and scanning the skies for enemy planes.

Domestic Propaganda: 1.In an effort to boost morale on the morale the home front, the U.S. War Department creates a series of posters aimed at uniting the military and the home front. 2.These posters are displayed in front of homes, factories, street corners, and storefronts. 3.The posters ridicule the enemy and call upon everyone to get involved in winning the war. 4.A cartoon character named “Private Snafu” was created to encourage Americans to not let information they may know about our military slip to possible spies. **(SNAFU—this is an acronym that means, “Situation Normal All Fouled Up” – used by the military to describe a battle or military maneuver that did not go as planned.)

Arsenal of Democracy: 1.FDR knows that propaganda alone will not win the war so; in 1942 a national “war production drive” is launched. 2.The United States’ tremendous need for war materials pulls the country out of the Great Depression. 3.Millions of Americans leave their non-essential jobs or find work in factories making bombs, planes, vehicles, and other war essentials. 4.A mandatory 48 hour work week is put into place. Everyone is expected to do their part in helping to win the war. 5.Car manufacturing plants are converted to build planes and ship yards run 24 hours a day to compensate for the loss of battleships at Pearl Harbor. 6.A “Liberty Ship” is produced every six weeks. From 1942 until the end of the war, Americans will build over 70, 000 ships to become the world’s leading shipbuilder.

“Rosie the Riveter”: 1.Due to the labor shortage, women take jobs that were previously deemed inappropriate or even impossible for them to perform before the war. 2.Rosie the Riveter will become one of the most enduring icons of the war. 3.Women join the workforce in unparalleled numbers. At the peak of war in 1944, 19 million women are employed. 4.Without women joining the work force, the United States could not have won the war.

Rationing: 1.In 1942, the Office of Price Administration (OPA) is established to ration supplies needed for the war essential commodities including rubber, sugar, and meat become strictly regulated. 3.Ration books and stamps are distributed to every household. 4.Americans must learn to stretch their allotted rations. Only two pounds of meat is allotted to each person per week and the OPA places price caps to reduce inflation on certain items. 5. The OPA requires the two million car owners to register for gas rationing.

Victory Gardens: 1. To off-set the food shortage, the U.S. government urges citizens to plant their own vegetables; they are called “victory gardens.” 2.The “War Food Administration” encourages all Americans to grow, harvest, and share the food they grow. 3.Community gardens and places to can your food pop up everywhere. At its peak in 1944, over 20 million victory gardens produce a phenomenal 8 million tons of food.

Scrap Drives: 1. To supplement the materials essential for defense, Americans are asked to scour their garages and attics for scrap metal, rubber, and paper. 2.Food handlers are urged to save kitchen fat to make explosives. 3.Though most scrap materials are never used, the group effort keeps morale high on the home front.

Bond Drives: 1. To help finance the military’s need for 56 billion dollars, the U.S. turns to cartoon and poster propaganda, like a “Bugs Bunny” add, to sell bonds. 2.In 1943, Hollywood stars launch a nationwide tour to encourage everyone to be patriotic and help the war effort by buying bonds. The biggest bond rally takes place at the Washington Monument in D.C. 3.Celebrities also perform in USO clubs for service men and women in order to boost morale. 4.By the end of the war, Americans had purchased an astounding 186 billion dollars in war bonds.

Women in Uniforms: 1.To free more men for combat, in May of 1942 the federal government creates the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs). 2.WACCs are recruited voluntarily for non-combat service for work at home and overseas. 3.The WACCs are given army pay, army uniforms, army training, and army discipline, but the jobs they perform are often supportive. 4.In September of 1942, the WAFS (Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron) a division of the Army Air Force, are created. 5.Over 350 thousand women will wear military uniforms and help to win the war effort.