Chapter 25: WWII Americans at Home Section 1: Mobilization

Mobilizing the Armed Forces Sept Congress passed the Selective Training & Service Act- required all males to register for military service –Boosted defense spending from 2 to 10 billion

The GI War More than 16 million served as soldiers, sailors, & aviators –Called GI’s- government issued

Diversity in the Armed Forces 300,000 Mexican Americans 25,000 Native Americans –Navajos developed a secret code, based on their language “Code talkers” provided important, secure communication links

1 million African Americans –First limited to supporting roles –Late given the opportunity to fight –Fought in separate units Tuskegee Airmen- 1 st African American flying unit in the US –Late accepted into white combat units

Women in the Military 350,000 volunteered –All areas except combat Clerks, typists, airfield control tower operators, mechanics, photographers, & drivers

Preparing the Economy for War Allied production of goods were way down

War Production Jan government set up the War Productions Board (WPB) to set up industries to produce wartime goods –Halted the production of many consumer goods

Armed forces decided which company would receive contracts to manufacture military hardware May FDR appointed James Byrnes to head the Office of War Mobilization –Super agency in the centralization of resources

Liberty ships- large, sturdy merchant ships that carried supplies or troops Government established the “cost plus” system for military contracts to motivate businesses & guarantee profits

Military paid development & production costs & added a percentage of costs as profits for the manufacturer the US production levels doubled all of the Axis nations

The Wartime Work Force Unemployment virtually vanished –Earnings went up more than 50% between Union membership rose – increased by 1.5 million

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, labor & business representatives agreed to refrain from strikes & “lockouts” (employers keep employees out of the workplace to avoid meeting their demands) –Cost of living went up & strikes were hard to avoid

Most serious occurred in the coal industry –United Mine Workers Union called four strikes in 1943 –Congress passed the Smith- Connally Act limiting future strike activity

Financing the War Spending increased from 8.9 billion in 1935 to 95.2 in 1945 –GNP more than doubled –Between 1941 & 1945 government spent $321 billion on the war Higher taxes paid for 41%

Government borrowed the rest from banks, private investors, & the public –War bonds brought in $196 billion Deficit spending helped the US field a well equipped army & navy, bring prosperity to workers & pull the US out of the Depression –Boosted the national debt from 43 t0 259 billion

Daily Life on the Home Front 30 million moved during the war –Birthrate up- population grew by 7.5 million from

Shortages & Controls People finally had extra money, but rationing led to few consumer goods Metal went to make guns, rubber to make army truck tires, nylon to make parachutes

Food shortages –US got cut off from receiving sugar, tropical fruits & coffee April 1941 Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established –Job was to control inflation by limiting prices & rents

Problems –Company would cut back of goods that weren’t profitable, thus creating shortages –People found ways to get around the limits

Rationing –Goal was a fair distribution of scarce items –1943 OPA assigned point values to sugar, coffee, meat, butter, canned fruit, & shoes –Issued ration coupons –Gas was strictly rationed on the basis of needed

Popular Culture People bought & read more books & magazines Went to baseball games 60% went to the movies every week

Enlisting Public Support FDR established the Office of War Information (June 1942) to work with magazine publishers, ad agencies, & radio stations –Hired writers & artists to create posters & ads that stirred American patriotic feelings

Victory Gardens- add to home food supply –By produced 1/3 of our vegetables