chapter 16-the american home front

7/31/2019 Chapter 16-The American Home Front

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The American Home Front

Chapters 26-27

American History Text


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US Declares War and Mobilizes

December 8, 1941- FDR declares war on Japan

December 11, 1941- Germany and Italy declarewar on the US

Government agencies were created to focus thenations war effort

Oversight was provided for factories, farms, andmines

Rationing began in earnest Heating oil, shoes, meat, sugar, coffee, gasoline,

rubber


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US Declares War and Mobilizes

Full employment replaced unemployment

1942- US production equaled that of the Axis

Powers combined

1944- US production doubled that of the Axis

Powers combined

250,000 planes, 100,000 armored cars, 75,000

tanks, 650,000 pieces of artillery, and millions of

tons of bombs, shells, and bullets


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Women in the Armed Forces

Women served in all US services

Similar to WWI only with greater impact

To free men from stateside service

WACS- Womens Army Corps

WAVES- Women Accepted for VoluntaryEmergency Services (Navy)

SPARS- Semper Paratus- Always Ready (CoastGuard)

WASPS- Womens Air Service Pilots


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Women on the

Home Front

Women were urged to join the Americanworkforce through government propaganda Rosie the Riveter

Millions of women responded

African American women benefitted as well bygetting better paying jobs than they previouslyheld

Contrary to the plight of women after WWI,women maintained their position in theworkforce after WWII and made great stridestowards equality with men in the workplace


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Blacks in the Armed Services

Around one million African Americans served

in the war (under segregation)

Blacks were allowed to join the Marine Corps

Blacks were allowed to become officers

Blacks were allowed to fly planes in combat

Navy allowed blacks to serve as sailorsinstead of just kitchen help


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Black engineers built

the Ledo Road in thejungles of Burma after

the Japanese had

captured the Burma

Road


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Dr. Charles Drew

developed a bloodbank for collecting and

storing blood during

the war


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Distinguished Service

Tuskegee Airmen

(332nd Fighter Group)

Served with distinction

in North Africa and Italy Under the command of

Benjamin O Davis, Jr.


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Distinguished Service Benjamin O Davis, Sr.

First African American

to achieve the rank ofgeneral in the US Army


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Dorie Miller- mess

assistant on the USS

West Virginia duringthe Japanese invasion

of Pearl Harbor

Manned an anti-aircraft

gun to defend the ship


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Segregation and the War

Just as in WWI, Blacks were still segregatedwithin all service areas

President Harry S. Truman appointed a

national committee to recommend racialequality in the armed services

1949- the army, navy, and air force abolished

racial segregation 1950-53- (Korean War) white and black

servicemen fought side-by-side


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Blacks on the Home Front

1941- A. Philip

Randolph organized

a march on

Washington, D.C. toprotest against racial

discrimination in

wartime hiring


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FDR issued Executive Order 8802 before the

march occurred

Outlawed any discrimination on the basis of

race, creed, color, or national origin in the

federal government or in defense factories

Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC)

was created to oversee that this order was

carried out


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Many African Americans emigrated from the

South into other parts of the country during

WWII

1950- half of all African Americans lived somewhereother than the South

Many African Americans moved into the larger

cities of the country looking for factory work Resulted in several major racial riots among blacks

and whites


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Japanese Americans on the

Home Front

Japanese Americans were blamed for aiding inthe invasion of Pearl Harbor

Previous discrimination became worse afterPearl Harbor

FDR gave in to pressure from US citizens andgovernment officials to remove the JapaneseAmericans from the West Coast

1942- 110,000 Japanese Americans wererounded up and sent to concentration camps

1200 Japanese men from these campsvolunteered to serve in the armed forces


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442nd Regimental

Combat Team Fought heroically in Italy


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Raising Money for the War Effort

1941 to 1945- US government spent $321 billion

Twice as much as had been spent from 1789 to 1941

Highest taxes in American history

94% for the highest incomes Brought in 41% of the cost of the war

US government borrowed from banks,corporations, and individuals

War Bonds (loans to the government)

$100 billion worth were sold to US citizens


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Prosperity Returns to America

1942- wages and prices were frozen by the

US government to fight inflation

No real impact upon the US economy as

Cost of living rose 29%

Factory wages increased 50%

Farmers were earning more money than ever

The Great Depression seemed a distant

memory


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chapter 16-the american home front

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