■Essential QuestionEssential Question:
–How did the U.S. mobilize civilians at home to help win World War 2 & what impact did this have on American society?
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■To win wars in Asia & Europe &
meet civilian demands, the U.S. gov’t grew to its largest size ever:
–The War Powers ActWar Powers Act gave the president unprecedented power
–New bureaucracies were formed to direct the economy, create propaganda, sell war bonds, & prevent enemy subversion
The power to create new gov’t agencies The power to create new gov’t agencies
to censor the pressto censor the press
to limit civil liberties & seize personal propertyto limit civil liberties &
seize personal property
The Office of War Mobilization coordinated
the draft, consumer prices, & the labor force
The Office of War Mobilization coordinated
the draft, consumer prices, & the labor force
The Office of War Information directed press, print, radio, &
film propaganda
The Office of War Information directed press, print, radio, &
film propaganda
The Office of Strategic Services gathered enemy intelligence & conducted espionageThe Office of Strategic Services gathered
enemy intelligence & conducted espionage
This is 2x as much as all previous gov’t spending combined
This is 2x as much as all previous gov’t spending combined
The U.S. gov’t spent $250 million per day from 1941 to 1945
The U.S. gov’t spent $250 million per day from 1941 to 1945
The U.S. Government ■ Financing increased government spending:
• Bonds
• Higher taxes paid for 41% of war
■ Result: deficit spending and increase of national debt ($43 billion in 1940 to $259 billion in 1945)
War bonds helped raise $187 billion to support
the war effort
Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:It Will Lead to VICTORY!It Will Lead to VICTORY!
Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:It Will Lead to VICTORY!It Will Lead to VICTORY!
Consumers ■ War production stimulated the
economy & created new jobs:– Business & farm profits doubled– Wages rose & people wanted to buy, but wartime
production led to shortages of consumer goods– Office of Price Administration fixed prices &
distributed ration books to save gas, meat, butter– Americans recycled & planted victory gardens for
the war effort
Victory GardensVictory Gardens: Grow Your OwnVictory GardensVictory Gardens: Grow Your Own
Example of support for war effort. Everyone was involved in
supporting war.
Example of support for war effort. Everyone was involved in
supporting war.
Hollywood Pitches In
Jimmy Stewart goes off to war
60% of America went to the movies weekly
60% of America went to the movies weekly
The U.S. Government Production■ 1943: FDR created Office of War Mobilization led by
James F. Byrnes to coordinate agencies regulating production
■ War Production Board (1942) directed factories to produce war supplies so that the Allies could out produce the Axis Powers
■ Govt told companies to stop producing consumer goods (converting heavy industry) and allocated scarce resources to war materials
The Wartime Economy■The most decisive factor for Allied
victory was America’s ability to outproduce both Germany & Japan
■15 million U.S. soldiers fought but 60 million workers & farmers supplied them with supplies
U.S. made 2x more goods than Germany & 5x more than JapanU.S. made 2x more goods than Germany & 5x more than Japan
Henry Kaiser’s West Coast ShipyardsThe Allies won the Battle of the Atlantic, in part,
because the USA produced ships faster than German u-boats could sink them
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
Kaiser standardized battleship building & reduced the time it took to make a battleship from 355
days to 14 days
GIs
■ When the USA declared war, the military needed soldiers to fight a two-front war in Europe & Asia:
– 6 million men volunteered
– 10 million more were drafted
– Everything soldiers were given was “government issue” so WWII soldiers became known as “GIs”
– Homesickness among soldiers was common
GIs missed the freedoms of “home”
GIs with movie star Marlene DietrichGIs with movie star Marlene Dietrich
■Essential QuestionEssential Question:
–How did the U.S. mobilize civilians at home to help win World War 2 & what impact did this have on American society?
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
9 million defense workers moved to new factories & shipyards in South & West
Women■ The war presented new economic
opportunities for women:
– 350,000 volunteered to serve in army– Dramatic rise in employment (14 million to
19 million by 1945)
– Most new female workers were married, many middle-aged
– Clerical work but also 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.”
“To hell with the life I have had. This war is too [serious], and it is
too [important] to win it.”
S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!
Women’s Army Air Women’s Army Air Corps PilotsCorps Pilots
Women’s Army Air Women’s Army Air Corps PilotsCorps Pilots
Join the Women’s Join the Women’s Army Corps Army Corps
(WACs)(WACs)
Join the Women’s Join the Women’s Army Corps Army Corps
(WACs)(WACs)
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)
Families■ After the war, women were forced out of high-
paying factory jobs■ 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
…and high divorce rates …and high divorce rates
African Americans
■ During WWII, African Americans fought in the military & at home:
– 1 million blacks served in U.S. military but not all saw combat Discrimination in military and defense industry
– The war led to factory jobs & increased the Great Migration of blacks in the North & west coast
• The led to racial tension and it became a national issue
Randolph led the “Double V” campaign: victory at home & abroad
A. Philip Randolph threatened a “March on Washington” to protest the war time
discrimination not hiring African Americans in defense industries.
A. Philip Randolph threatened a “March on Washington” to protest the war time
discrimination not hiring African Americans in defense industries.
Other groups, like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), staged sit-ins in restaurants in major
cities to protest discrimination. (Chicago)
Other groups, like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), staged sit-ins in restaurants in major
cities to protest discrimination. (Chicago)
African Americans
■ As a result of the pressure, FDR took small steps:
1. Executive Order 8802 opened jobs and training programs in defense industries without discrimination
2. Fair Employment Practices Commission was created to handle complaints about discrimination as well as to establish for equal pay for black workers.
African Americans
■ HOWEVER…
– More than 1 million black soldiers served in segregated units under the command of white officers
– Unlike WWI, black soldiers were allowed to fight; the “Tuskegee airmen” in the U.S. military were recognized for heroism & bravery
Segregated units…againSegregated units…againSegregated units…againSegregated units…again
Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen
Mexican Americans
• Faced significant discrimination
• U.S. created Bracero Program with Mexican government: Bring Mexican laborers to U.S. to help fill shortage of farm laborers
• The increase in Mexican American population led to racial tension in the SW, like the Zoot Suit Riots in LA
• In general, 250,000-500,000 Hispanic Americans fought during WWII
Mexican-Americans ■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
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 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 issued Executive Order 9066 which ordered 112,000 Japanese-Americans to move to internment camps
– Korematsu vs. U.S.: Supreme Court ruled that internment was Constitutional.
Japanese who were not American citizens living in the U.S.
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
Japanese Americans were allowed to return home in 1945, many had lost
everything.Government gave some repayment to
survivors in 1988 and officially apologized.