The American People on The Homefront

Japanese Americans

Social Mobility: Benefits and Costs  2 million people move to California; other west coast states grow: “Boomtowns”  6 million people move from farms to cities  Housing shortages near war plants; people forced to live in garages, tents, shacks, hotels, trailers  350,000 teachers join the armed forces or take higher paying jobs leaving school systems understaffed; many students drop out to take war jobs

The war’s impact on culture  Spending on books and movies doubles during the war  million people a week (out of 135 million) go to the movies  War-oriented films, books, songs:  Mr. W’s personal favorite: Tarzan Triumphs 

Women and children  6 million new women in the workforce-raises the total to 19 million  75% of new women workers were married, 33% had young children  Women were only seen as “substitutes;” made 65% of the wages of men  Not enough child care: “eight hour orphans,” “latchkey children,” infants locked in cars in parking lots  Divorce rate explodes: 16 in 100 in 1940 to 27 in 100 in 1944; at the same time, the marriage and birth rate go up!

Rosie the Riveter

Teenagers  Full time employment of teenagers grows from 900,000 in 1940 to 2.9 million in 1944  Increasing high school drop-out rate and juvenile delinquency; the first curfew laws established to stop it!

African Americans on the homefront  700,000 African Americans move from the South to the North: more opportunities, less discrimination, more power  Newcomers not welcomed! 500,000 new African Americans in Detroit “Bloody Monday” in Detroit, June 1943 Whites attack blacks- 25 African Americans killed, 9 whites, 700 injured

African Americans (cont.)  Black leaders call WWII “Civil War II” to end racism at home and Nazi racism abroad: “Double V” is the symbol of the cause  Membership in civil rights groups like NAACP and CORE increase in membership  March on Washington Committee: A. Phillip Randolph demands that FDR end discrimination in the armed services and industry

FDR responds to African Americans  FDR issues Executive Order 8802: outlaws employment discrimination in war industries and the federal government  Fair Employment Practices Commission established  Average wage for blacks: $457 to $1,976 from 1940 to 1945; double the number of African Americans in unions  More optimism, self esteem in black community

African Americans in the war  1 million African Americans serve in the military- most of them in segregated units  761 st Tank Battalion and the 99 th Pursuit Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen): honored for their bravery  86 Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded to Tuskegee Airmen  Riots and attacks on black soldiers: 50 black soldiers killed by whites during the war on army bases!  Separate blood banks for black and white soldiers, even though black doctor Dr. Charles Drew created the system!

Lt. Jackie Robinson  Refused to take a seat at the back of a bus and fought and won his court martial hearing  “I’m damned if I’m going to let the Alabama version of the Germans kick me around.”

Tuskegee Airmen

Mexican Americans on the homefront  200,000 braceros “temporary workers” brought in from Mexico to work in farming  Short-term contracts with fair wages, medical care, decent living conditions were often violated  Farmers encourage illegal immigration  Many Mexican Americans move to big cities to take factory jobs

Zoot Suit Riots L.A., June 1943  White sailors beat Mexican American teenagers; police only arrest Mexican Americans  The wearing of a zoot suit is made a crime  L.A. declared off limits to navy personnel

Native Americans Homefront  75,000 left reservations to work in defense factories  Reservation budgets severely cut by Congress Battlefront  25,000 served in the armed forces  Navajo “codetalkers” used to communicate secret messages in the Pacific  Native American veterans were not given benefits given to other soldiers

Jewish Americans  Anti-Semitism continued in America  Sale of homes to Jews in certain neighborhoods not allowed  Rigid quotas for Jewish students admitted to colleges  “Gentlemen’s agreements” to keep Jews out of certain professions; jobs ads for Christians only  Some Americans blamed Jews for WWII or thought the Holocaust was justified  Many ignored the first signs of the Holocaust: considered it only a “Jewish problem”