The Big Idea: World War Two would bring America center stage and make it a world leader. The Essential Question: In what ways did Americans prove that they were ready to do whatever was possible to defend the United States?

 The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor America needed direction.  President Roosevelt knew that he needed to show strength in this time of national peril.  Privately however he expressed concern over fighting a war on two different fronts. panese-diplomats-arrive-in- us#japanese-diplomats-arrive-in- us

 “I never wanted to have to fight this war on two fronts. We haven’t got the Navy to fight in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.... We will have to build up the Navy and the Air Force and that will mean we will have to take a good many defeats before we can have victory” – FDR to his wife.

 While Roosevelt was worried about fighting a global war, Prime Minister Churchill was not.  He compared the American economy to a giant boiler.  He said “Once the fire is lighted under it there is no limit to the power it can generate.

 America was still in the Great Depression despite years of reform and New Deal programs.  WWII would help get America producing again and lift the Great Depression.  The war would prove to the world that America domestic force to be reckoned with.

 The United States rapidly increased its war production after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  This increase was possible because Roosevelt had been preparing the nation for it.  After France fell to the Nazi’s Roosevelt declared a state of emergency and asked for more airplanes to be built.

 While many Americans were still in favor of isolationism before Pearl Harbor, the attack on France shocked many.  They were willing to build up Americans own defenses.  By October of 1940 Congress was spending over 17 billion dollars on national defense.

 After the attack on Pearl Harbor however, the U.S. began to do even more.  The Army-Navy munitions board began signing contracts with American companies.  The goal was to build new, state of the art aircraft, naval ships, and equipment.

 Roosevelt believed that business and government needed to work together in order to be successful.  He believed that it was a win-win situation.  Business would get money and the government would get war materials.

 This meant that the more a company produced the more they got paid.  So companies began to produce faster than ever.  This pumped money into the economy and weapons into the hands of soldiers.

 By early 1942 some 200,000 companies had converted to wartime production.  This increase meant more jobs and more money for average Americans, which helped end the depression.  All of these factors together made the wartime “miracle”.

 Americans would prove up to the task of war production.  American workers were twice as productive as German workers and five times more productive than the Japanese.  This production would help give America the advantage in the war.

 The automobile industry was uniquely suited for mass production.  For over 20 years these car factories became extremely effective at making things fast.  Car companies began producing tanks, jeeps, and even aircraft parts.

 These car companies did not just make vehicles however.  They also built artillery, rifles, mines, and even helmets.  This fast paced production helped America and its allies in the war.

 Henry Ford created an assembly line for the B- 24 bomber.  By the end of the war this assembly built over 8,600 airplanes.  Overall the auto industry produced one- third of all military gear for the war.

 Now that America was producing all this new equipment they needed men to use it.  In the weeks after Pearl Harbor over 60,000 men enlisted into the military.  The government also helped promote the Army and Navy through wartime recruitment posters.

 Army recruiting stations were flooded with men wanting to fight for their country.  So many men signed up that the Army did not have enough equipment to train all the soldiers at first.  The men were trained on wooden gun cutouts and threw rocks to simulate grenades.

 Even though many young Americans were eager to fight, their families were not happy to see them go.  So the government contracted a director named Frank Capra to let Americans know why they are fighting.  He produced the famous “Why we fight” series. 2O9c

 This is what Japanese Admiral Yamamoto meant when he stated the Japanese had just “awoken a sleeping giant”  America proved that they were willing stand up and fight  This production along with military strength in battle showed the world that America was a super power.

 Titled America and World War TWO

 Titled WWII THE FIGHT

The Big Idea: World War Two would bring America center stage and make it a world leader. The Essential Question: IN what ways did the combat of WWII effect the outcome of the war?

 Before a soldier could be shipped overseas into battle they needed gear  Each soldier in a unit received the same “General Issue gear”  This is why soldiers were called “G.I.s”

 Troops would be sent to war after their basic training.  This training involved learning how to read maps, pitch tents, dig trenches, as well as shooting.  This basic training was targeted at creating friendships among the men as well as training them to be warriors

 Even though basic training was aimed at creating unity, most men didn’t meet people from all parts of society.  At the start of the war the U.S. military was segregated.  This meant that white soldiers and African American soldiers trained, lived, and fought in separate units.

 Many African Americans did not support going to fight.  Some felt that because of the racism of segregation they should not defend those ideals.  However most still choose to enlist and defend their country.

 Many African American leaders combined patriotism with protest.  They encouraged men to join the war effort, and help make a better society through their “Double V” campaign.  They were hoping for a Double Victory

 The goal was to not only have a victory against Hitler but also back at home.  Many African Americans felt that if they served in the war they would earn respect back home.  President Roosevelt supported the Double V campaign and ordered the Navy and Army to start recruiting African Americans

 The air force created the first all African American unit.  These men were trained in Tuskegee, Alabama.  These men would prove to be great airmen, not one of their planes was shot down during the war.