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G u i d e
t o
R e a d i n g
N o t e s
Following are possible answers for each section in the Reading Notes.
Section 2
Problem: The economy needed to be converted from consumer production to
military production.
• The government created a new agency (the War Production Board) to manage
the conversion and to mobilize businesses behind the war effort.
• Various industries switched from producing consumer goods to producing
military weapons and machinery.
• The National War Labor Board settled labor disputes before they disrupted
the production of war goods.
Problem: The government needed large amounts of money to fight the war.
• The Revenue Act of 1942 increased individual and corporate income tax rates
and more than tripled the number of individuals required to pay income tax.
• To make tax collection easier, Congress devised a system of withholding
a certain amount from every paycheck and sending it directly to the
government.
• The government borrowed money from banks and other financial institutions.
• The government issued war savings bonds to raise cash from the American
people.
Problem: Inflation and overconsumption threatened the economy.
• The Office of Price Administration (OPA) created price controls, which
curbed inflation by placing restrictions on the prices charged for goods.
• The OPA rationed basic consumer products.
• Americans formed car pools or rode bicycles to work, recycled goods, and
planted victory gardens.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
The Impact of WWII on Americans
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G u i d e
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R e a d i n g
N o t e s
Section 3
Opportunities
Hardships
Joining the military enabled Americans to show their
patriotism.
Basic training was tough, and GIs followed a strict routine.
By joining the military, immigrants and minorities had a
chance to show that they were truly American.
On the battlefield, GIs were confronted with extreme
danger and the fact that they could die at any moment.
GIs developed strong bonds of friendship.
GIs suffered from boredom and homesickness and could
only communicate with family members by letter.
GIs gained a new sense of pride and a greater appreciation for American ideals, like liberty.
Many GIs were mentally or physically wounded by their
experience.
Section 4
Opportunities
Hardships
Japanese American men fought in the 442nd Division,
which won more medals than any other unit of its size
in American history.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans
were regarded as suspicious and possibly being more
loyal to Japan than to America.
Japanese nationals were declared “enemy aliens” and
had to register with the government, carry special identification cards, and turn in all firearms, cameras, and
shortwave radios.
After Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, Japanese
Americans were sent to internment camps throughout
the western United States.
Evacuees had just a few weeks to sell their homes and
possessions before being interned.
Internment camps were bleak, crowded, and guarded
with machine guns and barbed wire.
Section 5
Opportunities
Hardships
Many women worked in jobs typically held by men.
Women often faced hostility on the job.
Tough, physical labor increased the self-confidence,
independence, and income of women.
African American women faced additional racial
hostility.
The army, navy, and coast guard established auxiliary
branches for women.
Women’s wages were not equal to men’s wages.
Many military women moved beyond clerical work and
became truck drivers, mechanics, radio operators, air
traffic controllers, or pilots.
Women worked “double shifts,” spending a full day at
work and then another full day completing domestic
duties.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
Labor unions did not support women workers.
The Impact of WWII on Americans
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G u i d e
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R e a d i n g
N o t e s
Section 6
Opportunities
Hardships
As the war progressed, African Americans were able to
become military officers and engage in combat.
Racism was still a powerful force in American society.
The army air corps established its first black combat
unit, the Tuskegee Airmen.
A. Philip Randolph’s threat to lead a massive march
in Washington, D.C., led to the opening of the defense
industry to all Americans.
Many African Americans moved to industrial cities for
better-paying jobs and to escape legalized segregation in
the South.
Early in the war, the marines and army air corps refused
to take African American soldiers.
At first, African Americans were relegated to menial
and noncombat roles.
The army made African Americans serve in segregated
units.
African Americans faced housing shortages and racial
discrimination in industrial cities.
Race riots broke out in many cities across the country. Section 7
Opportunities
Hardships
Serving in the armed forces transformed the lives of
many Jewish American GIs.
Jewish Americans knew that millions of Jews were
being imprisoned and murdered in Europe, and they
could do nothing to stop it.
Jewish American GIs saw new places and expanded
their knowledge of unfamiliar cultures.
Many Jews had Jewish relatives and friends in Europe
but felt helpless to save them.
Pleas by Jewish Americans to change immigration laws
to allow refugees into the United States were ignored.
Jewish American GIs often felt the sting of prejudice in
the military.
Section 8
Opportunities
Hardships
Joining the military provided Mexican Americans a
chance to prove their loyalty to the United States.
Mexican Americans faced discrimination in their daily
lives.
Many Mexican American soldiers received military
awards.
Tensions between Mexican Americans and navy servicemen led to the Zoot Suit Riots, which resulted in
the attacks on hundreds of pachucos. The Los Angeles
police did little to stop the servicemen and, instead,
arrested Mexican Americans and hauled them off to jail.
Thousands of Mexican Americans left rural communities and took jobs in industrial centers.
The Bracero Program enabled Mexican citizens to come
to the United States to work.
© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
The Impact of WWII on Americans
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