AMERICA ENTERS WORLD WAR II “ Dec. 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy…” FDR

In the Army Now 1940, the Selective Service& Training Act was passed –First peacetime draft in American history First round of draftees overwhelmed army training facilities & there was a lack of supplies –Troops carried sticks to represent guns, threw stones instead of grenades, & practiced driving with trucks carrying signs that read “TANKS” New soldiers given smallpox & typhoid shots Issued uniforms with the label “Government Issued” (this is where US soldiers get the nickname “GI”) Endured 8 weeks of basic training

African Americans in the War The U.S. military was still segregated –African American troops had separate barracks, latrines, mess halls, & recreational facilities –Generally under the command of a white officer “Double V” campaign –Newspaper argued that African Americans should join the war to achieve a double victory – one over Hitler’s racism & one over racism at home Tuskegee Airmen –First African American air force squadron

A Nation on the Move The wartime economy created millions of new jobs, but many Americans had to move to get to them Most Americans headed west & south in search of jobs New industrial region: the Sunbelt –For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, the South & West led the way in manufacturing & urbanization

Japanese American Relocation After Pearl Harbor, newspapers printed rumors about Japanese spies in the Japanese-American communities –Many congressmen demanded that all people of Japanese ancestry be removed from the West Coast & relocated –Did not believe that they would remain loyal in a war against Japan 1942, Sec of War Stimson declared most of the West Coast as a military zone & moved Japanese Americans to 10 internment camps Supreme court ruled that relocation was constitutional because it was based on “military urgency,” not race. S.Court did rule that loyal American citizens could not be held against their will – release of American Japanese began No Japanese American was ever tried for espionage or sabotage Many served as translators throughout the war

WAR PRODUCTION BOARD is set up to direct conversion of peacetime industries to industries producing war goods. Ends production of “non-essential” items US produced double as many war goods alone as Germany, Italy & Japan combined Full employment & scarce consumer goods will lead to inflation which led to …? RATIONING! –Bicycles, beer cans, refrigerators, toothpaste tubes, etc. all cut back or banned –Other items rationed?

Rationing To stabilize both wages & prices, Roosevelt created the Office of Price Administration (OPA) When there was shortage of raw materials & supplies, the OPA began rationing products –Rationing = limiting the availability of a product Rationed products included meat, sugar, gasoline, oil, & coffee Each month, a family was given a book of ration coupons –In order to make a purchase, not only did you have to have enough cash, but also enough coupon points People were encouraged to start growing victory gardens again Scrap drives became a source for gathering unused raw materials like rubber, tin, aluminum, & steel

GAS RATIONING STAMPS Americans, on average, received 3 gallons of gas per week per family.

FOOD Meat, coffee, butter, cheese, sugar, etc. were all rationed by a point system.

AMERICANS WERE ENCOURAGED BY OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION TO CONSERVE & CONTRIBUTE: Sorting empty Toothpaste tubes Turning in bacon grease, used in making ammunition Turning in stockings to make powder bags for naval guns

And, of course, Americans grew their own Victory Gardens

And Americans saved junk for the war effort: Flattened tin cans Bronze & Steel Padlocks Waste paper to make packing cartons