Download COS Standard 10

Describe the impact of World War II on the lives of
American citizens, including wartime economic measures,
population shifts, growth in the middle class, growth of
industrialization, advancements in science and
technology, increased wealth in the African American
community, racial and ethnic tensions, the G. I. Bill of
Rights of 1944, and desegregation of the military.
Chapter 25-3 and Chapter 27
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Great Depression ends
because US gets involved in
World War II.
Created 19 million new jobs
and doubled the families
income.
Women and African
Americans were recruited to
work in factories.
 White men were fighting
overseas; could not fight and
work in factories at the same
time

Rosie the Riveter: symbol of
campaign to hire women
People were leery of hiring African Americans to
work in factories.
 A. Phillip Randolph told FDR that he was
planning a march on Washington.
 FDR responded with the Executive Order 8802:
there shall be no discrimination in the
employment of workers in the defense
industries or government because of race, creed,
color or national origin.
 To enforce the order, FDR created the Fair
Employment Practices Commission
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To help farmers in the
Southwest, the
government
introduced the Bracero
program.
 Mexicans were allowed
to work in agricultures
as well as building and
maintaining railroads.
 Continued until 1964.
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People wanted the new jobs. Not all jobs were
created close to home. Thus, people had to move.
 Moved West and South: growth of cities in Southern
California and Deep South which created a new
industrialized region called the Sunbelt.
There was not enough housing for people, so tents
and trailers were set up for people to live in.
 The government allocates money to build schools,
housing and community centers.
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 Government housing was not good.
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Great Migration: shift of African Americans to
the north in search for jobs
When they moved they were greeted with
suspicion and intolerance.
Riots in Detroit
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Mexican Americans faced suspicion as well.
In Southern California, racism followed
Mexican Americans. Juvenile crime and the
zoot suit became synonymous.
 Extra material in a pleated pants and knee length
jackets, hair was in a ducktail: unpatriotic
 Victory Suits: patriotic, no cuffs and vest, narrow
lapel, short jacket
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Americans were angry at Japanese Americans
for the bombing at Pearl Harbor.
FDR declared the US a war zone and they
could remove whomever they wanted.
 West Coast and moving Japanese Americans to
internment camps
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Prices rose, materials were in short supply
 Ration: limiting the availability of goods
▪ Blue points: processed foods
▪ Red points: meats, fats and oils (get extra coupons for oils)
▪ Other coupons controlled coffee and sugar
▪ Gas was rationed, driving was restricted and the speed limit
was 35
 Victory gardens: raise own food in garden to save
food for troops overseas
 Scrap drives
 E-bonds
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After World War II, America experiences a
growth of abundance.
Average income of an American family will
triple.
More people own homes
Fewer farmers because of mechanization
Growth in white collar job: jobs in sales and
management and blue collar jobs decline:
people who perform hard manual labor
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During World War II, America industrialized to
keep up with building war materials.
Factories converted from making general
goods to producing things needed for the
war.
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Computers
 ENIAC : made simple military calculations
 UNIVAC: handles business data
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Medical Breakthroughs
 Drugs to fight infections, arthritis, diabetes,
cancer, heart disease
 Polio
▪ Jonas Salk: injectable vaccine that will prevent polio
▪ Albert Sabin: oral vaccine to prevent polio
Soviet Union launches
Sputnik in 1957, US
launches its own
satellite in 1958.
 Commercial airplanes
are being built
smoother and faster.
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During World War II, African Americans did
experience wealth due to factory jobs
opening.
Many African Americans moved to the north
to find better jobs in the Great Migration.
After the war, still many African Americans
migrate to the cities for work.
 Face discrimination
 Low pay
Also known as the
Serviceman’s
Readjustment Act
 Provided generous
loans to veterans to
help them establish
businesses, buy homes
and attend college.
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Harry Truman
signed Executive
Order 9981 on
July 26, 1948,
ending
segregation in
the military.
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99th pursuit
squadron
All African
American squadron
of fighter pilots
trained in Tuskegee,
Alabama
Played an
important role in
the Battle of Anzio
in Italy
In Pickens County,
Alabama
 First prisoners accepted
on June 2, 1943
 Houses German
prisoners after battles in
North Africa
 Other camps set up in
Alabama
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 Opelika
 Anniston
 Camp Rucker
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Benefits the most
 Brookley Field: modified B-24s and was a major
supply base
 Shipbuilding Firms
▪ Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company
▪ Gulf Shipbuilding
▪ Built freighters, tankers, minesweepers and destroyers
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The population grew so fast, housing could
not keep up.
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TCI
 a longtime coal mine operator and iron producer
 expanded its facilities and shifts to keep up with
demand.
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Bechtel-McCone Aircraft Modification
 Equipped and modified B-29 bombers
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O’Neal Steel
 Steel fabrications for bombs
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DuPont Chemical
 Built a large explosive plant in Childersburg
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Maxwell
 Southeast Air Corps
Training Center
▪ Pilots received flight training
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Gunter
Craig
 Flight training for US and
British Air Force
Anniston Ordnance
Works
 Fort McClellan
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