Transcript Do Your Part New Opportunities Japanese Americans Technology

Do Your Part
New Opportunities
Japanese Americans
Technology and the war
• How were African American perceived prior to
WWII and how did the perception change after
WWII?
• How does rationing change consumer and
manufacturing behavior?
• What was the opportunity cost for Americans that
supported the efforts of the home front during
WWII?
Do Your Part
Posters and radio commercials urged
Americans to “Do Your Part” during the
war. Knowing that there was a
shortage of tin and aluminum, children
organized scrap drives, collecting tin
cans and old cooking pots.
Due to millions of soldiers needing to
be fed, the government limited the
amount of food each person in the US
could buy. This is called rationing. The
government would give each family
ration stamps every month. When you
ran out of stamps, you could no longer
buy food until next month.
Americans also planted “Victory
Gardens” to help increase the amount
of food available. People planted
gardens in their backyards and on their
rooftops.
New Opportunities
Before WWII, many factories did not
welcome African Americans. However,
during the war factories owners
needed workers which created jobs for
African Americans and women.
Thousands of African Americans left
the south for the north and west to
find work. They earned more money
then ever before, but still less than
white men.
Discrimination still existed in the
armed forces. Black and white soldiers
fought in segregated units. Even
though African Americans were
fighting for freedom around the world,
their freedoms were still limited at
home.
One unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, were
sent into fighting. They flew thousands
of missions in North Africa and Europe.
More than one million African
Americans fought during WWII. By the
end of the war, some were fighting in
integrated units.
Japanese Americans
Japanese Americans were suddenly
seen as enemies of the US after Pearl
Harbor. People feared that they would
help Japan attack the US. In 1942, FDR
signed an Executive Order which forced
all Japanese Americans into relocation
camps.
Technology and War
The race for new technologies was a
very important part of WWII.
Scientists in Axis and Allied countries
competed to invent new tools that
could help their side win the war.
Albert Einstein escaped Germany when
Hitler rose to power, was now living in
the US. He told FDR about the
possibility of building an Atomic Bomb.
Einstein warned that the Germans
were probably working on atomic
bombs.
FDR knew that the US could not afford
to lose the race to build an atomic
bomb, so the government started the
Manhattan Project. Thousands of
scientists went to work on creating the
atomic bomb.
Secret codes were also important
during WWII. If someone wanted to
send a message they had to use a radio
and anyone could listen in. Both sides
worked on breaking codes. By
breaking codes, the Allies knew what
the Axis’ next move would be.
British mathematicians built what is
considered the first computer to break
the German code. Historians believe
that this helped shorten the war by
one year. Radar also came into use,
which helped Allies find German
planes.
The US also used Navajo people to
create an unbreakable code. They
used the ancient language of the
people to send messages. Aside of the
Navajo people only about 30 people in
the world spoke the language. There
was also not a written alphabet so the
language could not be studied.
How were African American perceived
prior to WWII and how did the
perception change after WWII?
How does rationing change consumer
and manufacturing behavior?
What was the opportunity cost for
Americans that supported the efforts
of the home front during WWII?