Essential Question: How did the U.S. mobilize civilians at home to help win World War 2 & what impact did this have on American society? Warm-Up Question: What other major American war is most similar in its resemblance to the U.S. entrance into WW2? Lesson Plan for Monday, February 23, 2009: Warm-up Q, Homefront Notes

Mobilizing an “Arsenal of Democracy”

The Home Front WW2 impacted all aspects of American life: FDR hoped the U.S. would be the great “arsenal of democracy” The boost of wartime industry ended the Great Depression The war altered the lives of women, African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, & Mexican-Americans

Mobilization The Office of War Information directed press, print, radio, & film propaganda The power to create new gov’t agencies to censor the press The Office of War Mobilization coordinated the draft, consumer prices, & the labor force To win wars in Asia & Europe & meet civilian demands, the U.S. gov’t grew to its largest size ever: The War Powers Act gave the president unprecedented power New bureaucracies were formed to direct the economy, create propaganda, sell war bonds, & prevent enemy subversion to limit civil liberties & seize personal property The Office of Strategic Services gathered enemy intelligence & conducted espionage The U.S. gov’t spent $250 million per day from 1941 to 1945 This is 2x as much as all previous gov’t spending combined

Mobilization: The Demand for War Equipment & Soldiers

Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond: It Will Lead to VICTORY! War bonds helped raise $187 billion to support the war effort

War Rations

Victory Gardens: Grow Your Own

Propaganda: Fighting the Enemy on the Battlefield & on the Home Front

Fear Propaganda

Jimmy Stewart goes off to war Hollywood Pitches In James stewart goes to war Jimmy Stewart goes off to war

U.S. made 2x more goods than Germany & 5x more than Japan The Wartime Economy U.S. made 2x more goods than Germany & 5x more than Japan The most decisive factor for Allied victory was America’s ability to outproduce both Germany & Japan Heavy industry was converted to war & was directed by the War Production Board (WPB) 15 million U.S. soldiers fought but 60 million workers & farmers supplied them with supplies

Ford’s Willow Run Factory Ford made one B-24 bomber every hour

Henry Kaiser’s West Coast Shipyards The Allies won the Battle of the Atlantic, in part, because the USA produced ships faster than German u-boats could sink them Kaiser standardized battleship building & reduced the time it took to make a battleship from 355 days to 14 days

Essential Question: How did the U.S. mobilize civilians at home to help win World War 2 & what impact did this have on American society? Reading Quiz Ch 25 B (904-922) Lesson Plan for Monday, February 25, 2008: RQ 25 B, Finish Homefront Notes

WW2 Changed American Society FDR Video #2 FDR Video time 37.50-44.45 min

Regional Changes The war effort transformed the Western & Southern U.S.: California became the major center for industry to support the war effort in the Pacific 60 of the 100 new military based were built in the South Southern textile factories & industrial jobs helped end sharecropping & tenant farming 9 million defense workers moved to new factories & shipyards in South & West

Women The war presented new economic opportunities for women: Dramatic rise in employment (14 million to 19 million by 1945) Most new female workers were married, many middle-aged Entered “exclusively male” fields Temporarily redefined “woman’s sphere” from “just at home” “To hell with the life I have had. This war is too [serious], and it is too [important] to win it.”

“Rosie, the Riveter”

S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!

Join the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) Women’s Army Air Corps Pilots

…and high divorce rates Families …and high divorce rates The uncertainties of war & economic affluence of the 1940s led to a dramatic rise in marriage The influx of women into the workforce led to a new demand for daycare centers & to an increase in child delinquency Public health improved as more families had access to doctors, dentists, & prescription drugs

Banned discrimination in defense industries & gov’t African-Americans 1 million blacks served in U.S. military but few saw combat Discrimination in the workforce led A. Philip Randolph to pressure FDR to create a Fair Employment Practices Committee Continued black migration into the North & West made race relations a national issue Banned discrimination in defense industries & gov’t

Segregated units…again Tuskegee Airmen

Double V: Victory at Home & Abroad A. Philip Randolph threatened a “March on Washington” to protest war time discrimination Other groups, like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), staged sit-ins in restaurants in major cities to protest discrimination

Artist: Jacob Lawrence

Mexican-Americans Mexican-Americans: Served in quasi-segregated military units, often in the most hazardous branches Mexican-American workers found jobs in SW agriculture & west coast industry Faced discrimination, especially during the Zoot Suit Riots

“Zoot Suit” Riot in Los Angeles

Japanese who were not American citizens living in the U.S. Japanese-Americans Due to Pearl Harbor, many in the U.S. feared Japanese-Americans were helping prepare for a Japanese invasion in the West Civil liberties were restricted: Issei had their assets frozen Used racial stereotypes (“Japs”) In 1942, FDR ordered 112,000 Japanese-Americans moved to internment camps Japanese who were not American citizens living in the U.S.

Japanese- American Internment Camps Families were given one week to close their businesses & homes The all Japanese-American 442nd Division fought in Europe & received over 1,000 citations for bravery 442 Combat—when your division is in trouble “Call in the Japs” (to save your butt)

Win-the-War Politics In 1944, FDR used the war to strengthen his leadership: “Mr. New Deal” had shifted to “Mr. Win the War” Opponent Thomas Dewey made communism & FDR’s health the focus of the election FDR switched VPs from liberal Henry Wallace to moderate Harry Truman to gain appeal