World War II: And the Home Front

World War II: And the Home Front

"But there is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States - every man, woman, and child - is in action ﾉ That front is right here at home,in our daily lives."- Franklin Delano Roosevelt,

1942

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Before Pearl Harbor

• FDR prepared US against possibility of war with Germany

• New Deal had created strong centralized Federal Government (WPA, CCC, TVA)

• Cash and Carry• Lend Lease

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After Pearl Harbor: What did we need?

• A huge army must be drafted• Massive amounts of arms

and ammunition needed to be produced

• The army needed uniforms, supplies, and food

• The army needed transportation

• World War II Ended the Great Depression

Who would serve in the armed forces? And in what roles? The selective service act of 1940 ordered all

men, 18-30 to register for a draft. War ended the Great Depression!

• The armed forces are segregated.

• Units of African Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics serve separately from units which are white

• Officers are usually white.• Minority units often serve in

less prestigious support roles

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Minority leaders call for equality

• A. Philip Randolph organizes a “March on Washington.”

• Roosevelt issues executive order 8802 requiring equal pay in war industries

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WW II offers minorities an opportunity to demand equality

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Courage in Battle

• The Tuskeegee Airmen prove they can fly fighter jets and earn international respect

• The Navaho code talkers become famous for their ability to code breakers

• The fighting ability of Hispanic and Asian units such as the 442nd earn them new status and honor.

If so many men were in the army, who

would produce all the supplies?

Women are asked to step in to fill the gap.

The symbol of the strength, determination and courage of all these women is called

“Rosie the Riveter.”

8 Million women enter the workforce: WW II ends the Great Depression

They build battleships

and bombers.

They fly transport and supply planes

How will we keep the morale of our soldiers up when they are far from home?

• USO centers will provide free entertainment to the troops overseas

• V-mail will let us write to our friends and relatives

Where will all the raw materials for the army come from?

• Home cooking oil, fat and grease are saved to be recycled into explosives

• New fashions use less fabric so the saved fabric can be used in uniforms

• No nylon stockings! • Canned food comes in

glass jars so the metal can be saved

Children Help Too

Look at the poster behind these school

boys.

What do you notice?

Every scrap of metal and rubber is needed for our

weapons• Children collect all kinds

of metal to recycle: tin cans, old garden tools, even old cooking pots

• Rubber boots, hoses, old tires, even rubber bands are saved

• Paper can be recycled too!

How will the army be fed?

• Food and gas rationing at home make sure no one uses supplies needed by the army and everyone gets their fair share.

• Everyone who can works to grow their own vegetables so the farm produce can be saved for the army.

• These are called “Victory Gardens.”

Victory Gardens: If we grow for our homes, farmers can grow for our

armed forces.

How will we pay for all the weapons, ammunition and

men?• Taxes will go up.• People at home will

loan their money to the government to finance the war

• These loans are called “liberty bonds.”

Will we be safe if most of the men are away fighting?

• Older men and disabled men will serve in the Civil Defense at home.

• They enforce rationing• They maintain watch

against air raids • They watch for spying

and sabotage• They organize paper,

rubber, and scrap metal drives.

Was there prejudice against German Americans and Japanese Americans?

• Yes, but more against Japanese Americans than German Americans

Internment Camps

• After the surprise or sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, many feared spying and sabotage.

• As a result, executive order 9066 forced thousands of West Coast Japanese Americans out of their homes and into “internment” or prison camps away from the Pacific Coast.

Manzanar Relocation Camp

• Camps were located far from the West Coast

• For 4 years 112,000 Japanese Americans were interned in camps like this with no trial and no right of appeal.

• The US government formally apologized and offered small reparation payments to interned citizens in 1987.

Some were in internment camps: but others served in

the armed forces

• The 442nd Army Regiment was one of the most decorated of WW II

• Its members fought in many capacities: front line combat, translating, nursing, etc.