Download Chapter 14: America and WWII

Chapter 14: America
and WWII
Section 1: Mobilizing for War
FDR Supports England
• FDR originally proclaimed that the United States was neutral after the
declaration of war
• The Land-Lease Act allowed the United States to hand over arms if it was to
a country that was vital to the United States
Neutrality Act of 1939
• FDR wanted to do more to support Great Britain and France
• The new law allowed for warring nations to buy weapons from the US only
if they paid cash and carried the arms on their own ships
• Congress also authorized the trading of old warships for land in the
Caribbean
Japan Attacks the United States
• When the Japanese were in position to strike the British, FDR froze all
Japanese assets in the United States and reduced the amount of oil being
shipped to Japan
• American surveillance had shown Japan was preparing for war
• The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor which was host to nearly all of the US
Navy
Converting the Economy
• American workers were twice as productive as Germans and five times more
productive than Japanese workers
• The US rapidly increased its war production after the attack on Pearl Harbor
• By October 1940, Congress allotted the defense budget to $17 billion
• The government went into cost-plus contracts
• Incentives for companies to build fast
War Production Board
• President Roosevelt created the WPB and gave them the authority to set
priorities and production goals
• Military was not following orders
• In 1943 the Office of War Mobilization was created to settle arguments
among the difference agencies
Building an Army
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Congress approves the first ever peace time draft
More than 60,000 volunteered after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Soldiers were sent to basic for 8 weeks
At the start of the war the US military was segregated
Many African American leaders launched the “Double V” campaign
• Achieve victory over Hitler’s racism and racism at home
Women Join the Armed Forces
• The army enlisted women for the first time
• The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) were the first women to serve in the
Army
• Women were soon able to deliver planes
• This was essential in the war effort and victory
Section 2: The Early Battles
The Fall of the Philippines
• A few hours after bombing Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked American
airfields
• American and Filipino forces retreated to Bataan Peninsula
• With little supplies life was horrid
• Soldiers were forced to travel almost 65 miles to a Japanese prison camp
• Known today as the Bataan Death March
• The Philippines had fallen to Japan
Doolittle Raid on Tokyo
• President Roosevelt was searching for a way to raise morale of the American
people
• Wanted to bomb Tokyo
• Bombers at this time could not land on warships
• Created a deal to land planes in China
Battle of Midway
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The code-breaking team now learned of the plan to attack Midway
The Japanese launched their aircraft into an ambush on June 4th, 1942
Before a second attack could launch, US bombed Japanese carriers
Turning point in the war Japanese lost four carriers-the heart of its fleet
Section 3: Life on the Home Front
Women in the Defense Plants
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The Great Depression made it difficult for women advancement
Worker shortages made it easy for women to get jobs in industrial factories
2.5 million women worked in industry
Although women were either laid off or quit after the war, attitudes began to
permanently change.
African Americans Demand War Work
• Factories were refusing to hire African Americans
• With the threat of a strike of 50,000 people Roosevelt issued Executive
Order 8802
• No discrimination in employment
• To enforce the order the Fair Employment Practices Commission was
created
The Housing Crisis
• One of the most difficult tasks of war was housing new employees
• Landlords were issuing “hot beds”
• Roosevelt created the National Housing Agency to control all government
housing
Racism Leads to Violence
• When jobs opened up the “Great Migration” resumed
• African Americans were often met with suspicion and intolerance
• Reached a tipping point in Detroit when nearly 100,000 people crowded into
Belle Isle in Detroit
• In total 34 were killed in riots just in Detroit
Zoot Suit Riots
• In southern California racial tensions became
entangled with Juvenile delinquency
• To save material most men worse “victory suit” to save
material
• A rumor that “zoot suiters” had attack sailors led to
2,500 soldiers attacking a Mexican American
neighborhood
• Police did not intervene
Japanese American Relocation
• On February 19th, 1942 President Roosevelt signed an order allowing the
War Department to declare any part of the US a military zone
• Secretary of War Henry Stimson declared most of the west coast a war zone
• Set up 10 Japanese interment camps
• No Japanese American was ever tried for espionage
• In 1988, President Reagan granted $20,000 to each surviving Japanese
American who had been interned
Section 4: Pushing Back the Axis
Daily Life in Wartime
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Both wages and prices were monitored during the War
Ration coupons were handed out depending on the good
American planted Victory Gardens
Scrap drives were a way of getting extra cash
Congress raised taxes in order to gain extra revenue
Americans remained united behind one goal –winning the war
Striking Germany and Italy
• At the Casablanca Conference, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to step up the
bombing of Germany
• “The progressive destruction of the German military, industrial, and economic system,
and the undermining of the morale of the German people”
• The Allies agreed to attack the Axis on the island of Sicily
• The Allied powers controlled the sky after bombing Germans air force
factories
Planning Operation Overlord
• The Axis powers fortified the coast along the English Channel
• The attack was planned at 5 beaches covering 60 miles named the Normandy
Coast
• Strategies
• Operation had to begin at night so they could arrive at low tide
• Paratroopers would be dropped behind enemy lines
• Weather had to be good
• Given all of these requirements there were only a few days per month
D-Day
• On June 6, 1944, Eisenhower gave the final order “OK, we’ll go”
• Nearly 7,000 ships carrying more than 100,000 soldiers headed for
Normandy’s coast
• The Americans landing at Utah Beach went well
• Defenses were weak
• General Omar Bradley, commander of the American forces landing at
Omaha began making plans to retreat
D-Day
• More landing craft arrived ramming their way through the obstacles to get to
the beach
• By the end of the day more than 100,000 troops from the US, UK, and
Canada were on shore
• The largest amphibious operation in history had succeeded
Island-Hopping in the Pacific
• By the fall of 1943, the navy was ready to launch its island-hopping
campaign
• When the landing craft hit the reef, at least 20 ships ran aground
• Had to wade in the water while being fired on by the Japanese
• The amphtrac made it possible to deliver troops on shore at Tarawa atoll
• The other missions had much more success at B-29 could now land and
begin bombing Japan
MacArthur Returns
• MacArthur’s campaign began by invading Guadalcanal where he soon
wanted to take back the Philippines
• To respond the Japanese sent four aircraft carriers to block the attack
• Became known at Battle of Leyte Gulf
• Largest naval battle in history
• Japanese used kamikaze pilots
• Forced a Japanese retreat but did not recapture the Philippines until 1945
Section 5: The War Ends
Battle of the Bulge
• Hitler decides to stage one last desperate offensive by stopping American
supplies
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On December 16, 1944 the attack began by a German ambush
General Patton was ordered to rescue the troops and arrived in 3 days
Fighting lasted for three weeks until the German surrendered
Germans had very few war resources left
The War Ends in Europe
• The Soviets began a massive attack on German troops in Russia
• By early 1945, both the Americans and Soviets were stations outside of
Berlin
• Knowing the end is near Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945 and
Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz is in power of Germany
• Doenitz tried to surrender to the British and Americans but not the Russians
• May 8, 1945- V-E Day
Battle of Iwo Jima
• President Roosevelt died on a stroke before the war was over
• Harry Truman takes over
• American forces invaded Iwo Jima due to its location for refueling
• More than 60,000 marines landed on Iwo Jima
• Using flamethrowers and explosives they were able to overtake the Japanese
stronghold
• Comes at a cost of 6,800 soldiers
Firebombing Japan
• General Curtis LeMay decided to change strategies since so many bombs
were not hitting the target
• He ordered them to drop napalm
• Would start a fire after the bomb dropped
• Very controversial
• The Tokyo firebombing killed more than 80,000 people and destroyed more
than 250,000 cities
Invasion of Okinawa
• American officials did not believe that the Japanese would surrender until an
invasion
• Being a rugged, mountainous island the Japanese hid themselves in caves for the
attack
• More than 12,000 American soldiers were killed before Okinawa had finally been
captured
• The Japanese were willing to surrender as long as their emperor could remain in
power
• Not an option for Truman
Manhattan Project
• In 1939, Leo Szilard learned that German scientists had split the uranium
atom
• Roosevelt responded by setting up a scientific committee to study the issue
• The secret American project was code-named the Manhattan Project
• Robert Oppenheimer led the team and on July 16, 1945 the first atomic
bomb was detonated in New Mexico
• Now the issue became what to do with it
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Truman wrote that he “regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never
had any doubts that it should be used”
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It was his duty to save American lives
On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima
Three days later the US dropped “Fat Man”
On August 15, 1945 V-J Day
Creating the UN
• Roosevelt believed that a new international political organization could
prevent another world war
• In 1944, 39 countries met to discuss the UN
• On April 25, 1945 representatives from 50 countries met to discuss its
charter
• Security Council was created to keep international peace
Putting the Enemy on Trial
• The International Military Tribunal help created the Nuremburg Trials to set
punishments for creating the war
• 22 Nazi leaders were prosecuted
• 12 were executed
• 107 more were given trial after the initial hearings
• Japanese leaders were put on trial
• Emperor was not