1. CH MOBILIZING FOR WAR
AMERICAN HISTORY

2. MOBILIZING THE ARMED FORCES
Isolationist feelings were destroyed by the Pearl Harbor attack
USA had a head start on mobilization
1940—military spending sharply increased
Jobs were created to bring USA out of the Great Depression
The leader of the mobilization was Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall
MOBILIZING THE ARMED FORCES

3. Marshall and Roosevelt worked closely to plan for war
Marshall ensured that American soldiers were well equipped and properly trained
FINDING SOLDIERS
Following Pearl Harbor, the military draft (reinstated in 1940) was expanded
Millions of young men volunteered

4. Eventually, some 16 million Americans entered the armed forces
WOMEN AND THE ARMED FORCES
Women not allowed in combat
They filled traditional males roles so the men could fight
10,000 women joined Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES)

5. This was a navy program where women did necessary clerical work that would otherwise be done by men
Some 1,000 women joined Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) and tested and delivered aircraft
Nearly 40 WASPs gave their lives serving the country
The largest group was the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in which 150,000 women served

6. 1943—Women’s Army Corp became full members of the Army and received protection and benefits and could serve overseas
WAC leader was Oveta Culp Hobby, who was given the rank of Colonel
NEW MILITARY BASES
New bases were built in rural areas with plenty of land available

7. Camp Blanding, FL—55,000 troops became the 4th largest FL city overnight
Texans saw 1.2 million troops train
Some 200,000 air pilots trained at Texas air bases
Texas was temporary home to over 50,000 German, Italian, and Japanese prisoners of war

8. MOBILIZING INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE
American forces would need proper equipment
Many factors were quickly converted to make war materials
Roosevelt set a goal of building 60,000 new aircraft in 1942 and 125,000 aircraft in 1943
All war material had to be shipped overseas
MOBILIZING INDUSTRY AND SCIENCE

9. Thanks to Henry Ford and others 125,000 tanks were created by 1943
Early in the war submarines took a heavy toll on American ships
American shipyards built 5,500 vessels during the course of the war
ROSIE THE RIVETER
More than 6.5 million women took factory jobs vacated by men that went to war

10. LABOR IN WORLD WAR II
Government spending during the war helped end the Great Depression and create millions of new jobs
Many of these workers joined labor unions
Government was worried labor strikes would hamper the war effort
Roosevelt created the National War Labor Board prior to Pearl Harbor to settle labor disputes

11. 1943—Congress passed the Smith- Connally Act, giving the President the power to take over vital industries in the event of a strike
MOBILIZING SCIENCE
Technology would play a vital part in the war effort

12. THE MANHATTAN PROJECT—located in Los Alamos, NM
Top-secret project to develop an ATOMIC BOMB (weapon of great energy created by splitting atoms)
Research began in 1939 led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer
USA was worried Germany was working on a bomb

13. FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AT HOME
AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE MILITARY
Hundreds of thousands of African Americans served with honor in WWII
There was still discrimination
There were segregated units
No African Americans were awarded the Medal of Honor during the war
This error was corrected 50 years later when 7 Medals were awarded
FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AT HOME

14. AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE WORKFORCE
Many factory jobs for opened up for African Americans
They were still forced to take the lowest paying jobs
CHALLENGES FOR HISPANIC AMERICANS
US and Mexican governments established the BRACERO PROGRAM in 1942

15. This gave Mexicans workers the chance to work temporarily in the USA
Hispanic Americans served bravely in the armed forces
They also shared a strong commitment to victory and freedom
THE END