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Money From 1941-1945 America spent $320 billion on the war effort—10 times more than was spent in World War One. As in the First World War, taxes were raised to collect much of the needed capital. The government eventually ended up collecting $144 billion in taxes by the end of the war. The remaining $176 billion needed was collected by selling war bonds just as had been done in the previous war. Movie and music stars toured the country giving benefits to convince the public to buy as many bonds as possible. Even cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse were enlisted in the effort to try to persuade kids that they could give as well. Organizing the Economy The government controlled the economy even more during World War II than in World War I. The government told businesses what to charge, controlled what companies paid their workers and informed the public what needed to be rationed. Coupon books were distributed informing citizens what they could buy and how much they could consume. Government agencies like the War Production Board also helped factories switch from producing everyday products to making tanks, planes and guns. Jobs opened up around the country and prices for farm goods doubled almost overnight. By 1944 we were producing 8,000 planes and two aircraft carriers a month. Historians have called this transformation the “Miracle of Modern Production”. Rosie the Riveter The term “Rosie the Riveter” originally comes from a very popular patriotic song from the time that tells of a tireless woman working the assembly line to do her part to help win the war. During World War II, more than 6 million women went to work in factories producing war goods. Women, worked heavy machinery, became police officers, bus drivers and worked in offices. Some women also joined the military and worked as nurses, secretaries and even flew military planes from base to base…sometimes even training pilots. Because of the need for workers, women were able to gain better rights in the workplace. For the first time, women and men were paid equally for working the same jobs. The pride and satisfaction of helping our war effort also helped women gain confidence and respect in our society. Men Following Pearl Harbor, millions of men (and women) volunteered or were drafted to serve in the armed forces. During the war, men ages 18-38 were eligible for the draft. A total of 10 million Americans were drafted during the war with an additional 6 million men volunteering. Bases were built around the country to train recruits to fight in the jungles of the Pacific, the desert of Africa and the cities and farmlands of Europe. Recruits were issued boots, uniforms and equipment. All the clothing bore the label “G.I.” meaning Government Issue. As a result, American soldiers came to be known as GI’s. After an average of 8 weeks of strenuous training in weapons, map reading and hand to hand combat, 75% of the recruits were sent to Europe to defeat the Germans and 25% were sent to the Pacific to battle the Japanese. Minorities During World War II, the military was segregated by race. Native Americans were no different. Nearly one-third of all Native Americans volunteered for the military. In the Pacific, the army used Navajo Indians as “Code Talkers”. The Navajos would send messages in their native language Navajo “Code Talkers” in the and the Japanese had no idea what Pacific in 1944 they were talking about. For example, the Navajos word for fish was code for submarine. The Japanese never broke the code. African Americans were key workers in the factories of America. Along with serving in segregated units, African Americans were able to find jobs in factories that had previously turned them down. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced to sell their homes and businesses and move into Relocation Camps. Japanese Americans who joined the military were forced to fight against the Nazis in Europe, not in the Pacific against the Japanese. Morale Because of the circumstances surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor and the horrible crimes being committed by the Nazis, the American people overwhelmingly supported our involvement in World War II. Still, the government and media cooperated when it came to what stories were told and what events were reported. The Office of War Information was created to make sure all movies, shows, and news agencies were following patriotic ideas and themes. All movie scripts had to be approved and all newspaper and magazine articles told a patriotic version of events. Major movie stars such as Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable enlisted in the army and cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry and Disney’s Mickey Mouse all made fun of the Japanese and Nazis. In 1941, FDR founded the United Service Organizations (USO) to entertain troops and workers at home and overseas. Nearly every famous movie and music star of the time travelled with the USO giving free shows for our soldiers and workers. Comedian Bob Hope at a USO show in 1944 Rationing Civilians first received ration books on May 4th 1942, through more than 100,000 schoolteachers, PTA groups, and other volunteers. Items could not be purchased without the stamps from these books. That same month, a national speed limit of 35 miles per hour was imposed to save fuel and rubber for tires and by the end of the year production of new cars was banned in favor of war vehicles. As the war progressed, many levels of rationing went into effect. Some items, such as sugar, were distributed evenly based on the number of people in a household. Other items, like gasoline or fuel oil, were rationed only to those who could prove they needed it. By 1944, whisky had disappeared from liquor store shelves as distilleries converted to the production of industrial alcohol. Thirty percent of all cigarettes produced were allocated for service men, making cigarettes a scarce commodity on the home front by 1944. By the end of the war, eggs and dairy foods were the only things not being rationed.