1. GEORGIA DURING WORLD WAR II

2. LEND-LEASE Pres. Roosevelt wanted to remain neutral during the beginning of WW II but did consider Great Britain to be an ally England could buy weapons from the US if they paid cash and carried them in their own ships When England ran out of money, Roosevelt began the Lend-Lease program

3. LEND-LEASE US would lend or lease weapons to England (and later the Soviet Union) US also built air bases in Greenland and Iceland to track German sub activity [Video]

4. PEARL HARBOR To protest Japan’s invasion of surrounding countries, the US stopped shipping supplies to them December 7, 1941 in the morning, Japan bombed the only force that could stop them—the US Navy stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii All 8 battleships in port were damaged or destroyed—greatest destruction aboard the USS Arizona Over 180 planes destroyed Over 2,000 people killed; over 1,000 wounded

5. PEARL HARBOR Roosevelt called the attack, “a day that will live in infamy” The next day, Congress declared war on Japan—US was now in World War II A few days later, Germany and Italy declared war on US [Video]

6. BELL AIRCRAFT Contracted to build B-29 bombers (airplanes) in Marietta, GA Opened in 1943 April, 1945—employed 27,000 people and built 60-65 planes per month for US Air Force End of 1945—closed after building 668 planes 1950—plant was reopened as Lockheed Martin

7. MILITARY BASES Military bases were open that trained large numbers of US troops – Ft. Benning (largest infantry center) – Camp Gordon – Ft. Stewart – Warner Robbins – Ft. McPherson—induction center for newly drafted soldiers Ft. Gillem—storage facility and railroad yard Ft. Oglethorpe—trained women troops (WAACS) Prisoner of war camps  Ft. Benning  Ft. Gordon  Ft. Oglethorpe  Ft. Stewart

8. SAVANNAH AND BRUNSWICK SHIPYARDS Built 88 Liberty ships Liberty ships named after Patrick Henry’s quote (“Give me liberty, or give me death.”) by FDR In Savannah,built by 15,000 workers— most were women

9. RICHARD RUSSELL 1931—became governor of Georgia Created the Board of Regents to oversee state colleges and universities 1932—became US Senator—served 38 years Supported a strong national defense—served on the Armed Services Committee Co-sponsored legislation to provide school lunches to all children

10. CARL VINSON Served 25 consecutive terms (1914- 1965) in the US House of Representatives “Father of the Two Ocean Navy” Before Pearl Harbor, he created a law to increase military readiness Passed the Vinson-Trammel Act which authorized the building of 92 war ships Created a bill to increase the navy to 10,000 planes, trained 16,000 pilots, and established 20 air bases

11. CARL VINSON Another bill eased labor restrictions on building ships so that they could be produced more quickly After WWII, he continued to push for strong defenses during the Cold War Nuclear carrier ship was named after him

12. THE HOLOCAUST Systematic killing of 5-6 million Jews, Blacks, homosexuals, gypsies, and people with disabilities Near the end of the war in 1945, Allied troops began to find the concentration camps in Poland, Austria, and Germany and liberated the survivors 1986—the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust was established to take lessons from the Holocaust and use them to lead the next generation to overcome racism and prejudice