Transcript The U.S. Mobilizes for Defense

U.S. Mobilizes for Defense
How do all Americans help with the war effort?
U.S. Needs More Manpower
• After Pearl Harbor, 5 million men volunteer for the military
• Selective Service System drafts 10 mill. (need to fight two fronts)
Expanding the Military
• 1942: Gen. George Marshall forms the Women’s Auxiliary Army
Corps (WAAC), women can volunteer for non-combat positions
• 1943: No longer “auxiliary”, WAC will get full army benefits
Factories Help the War Effort
- Factories cease normal production and begin producing warrelated products
- Factories begin to produce tanks, planes, and boats, bottling
companies made shells, textile factories made uniforms
New Factory Workers
• 18 million new workers in war industries, incl. 6 mill women
• 2 million minority workers enter the workforce, but many in
“menial” jobs at first
A. Philip Randolph takes on FDR
• Since many minority workers face discrimination, A. Phillip
Randolph organizes a march on Washington D.C.
• FDR asks Randolph to come to White House
• Randolph agrees to cancel the march, FDR issues an executive
order telling employers & labor unions to not discriminate
Economic Controls
1) Office of Price Administration: fought inflation by freezing
wages, prices and rents, rationed food
2) War Production Board: rationed fuel, rubber, metal and plastic
3) Treasury Dept: issued war bonds, 1942 Revenue act raised
taxes on wealthy to 88%, middle/low income now pay income tax
4) Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act: Limited rights of unions to strike,
allowed President to takeover striking plants
Hollywood Helps The Effort
• Hollywood begins making propaganda film to support the war
effort, enlists major Hollywood celebrities
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfCFU3Mqww
• Many films glorified the US allies, made enemies seem evil
Japanese Americans Serve Their Nation
• “Purple Heart Battalion”:1,300 Hawaiian Nisei (2nd Generation
Japanese Americans) served in Italy and N. Africa
• 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Japanese-American unit that
earned more than 18K individual decorations (most in WWII)
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the famed Japanese-American
unit, earned more than 18,000 individual decorations including:
one Medal of Honor,
53 Distinguished Service Crosses,
588 Silver Stars,
5,200 Bronze Star Medals,
9,486 Purple Hearts,
eight Presidential Unit Citations (the nation's top award for combat
units).
In June 2000, President Clinton awarded an additional 20 Medals of
Honor to members of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental
Combat Team. This was the result of a re-examination of the files of
dozens of Japanese-American soldiers to see if any of them might have
been denied awards because of possible prejudice. One of these
recipients was Hawaii's U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.
Navajo Code Talkers
• Navajo Native Americans were in every US Marines assault
conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945
• Based on their language, developed secret code that was
transmitted to combat units
Mexican-Americans in WWII
•
•Mexican-Americans also
served in segregated units
•141st Regiment, 36th Division
was highly decorated
African Americans Help in War
• US Army Air Corps enlists African Americans for the 1st time,
but units are segregated
• Tuskegee Airmen: 99th Pursuit Squadron Pilots were trained at
Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama
• Faced discrimination but many victories against the Germans
The combat record of the Tuskegee Airmen
speaks for itself:
· Over 15,000 combat sorties
· 111 German airplanes destroyed in the air, another 150 on
the ground
· 950 railcars, trucks, and other motor vehicles destroyed
· 1 destroyer sunk by P-47 machine gun fire
· Sixty-six pilots killed in action or accidents
· Thirty-two pilots downed and captured, POWs
· A nearly perfect record of not losing U.S. bombers, a
unique achievement
· 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses earned
· 744 Air Medals
· 8 Purple Hearts
· 14 Bronze Stars
Please answer questions in complete sentences!
1. Why did the Selective Service draft an additional 10
million men?
2. Who served in the WAC?
3. Is A. Philip Randolph successful in helping minorities?
Explain.
4. Which gov’t agency fought inflation?
5. Which Act limited strikes during WWII?
6. What are 2nd generation Japanese Americans called?
7. Which Native American tribe helped the US in WWII?
8. Who are the Tuskegee Airmen?