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Chapter 35
America in World War II
1941-1945
Part-1
CHAPTER THEMES
Theme: Unified by Pearl Harbor, America
effectively carried out a war mobilization effort
that produced vast social and economic changes
within American society.
Theme: Following its “get Hitler first” strategy,
the United States and its Allies invaded and
liberated conquered Europe from Fascist rule. The
slower strategy of “island-hopping” against Japan
also proceeded successfully until the atomic bomb
brought a sudden end to World War II.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
America was wounded but roused
to national unity by Pearl Harbor.
Roosevelt settled on a fundamental
strategy of dealing with Hitler first,
while doing just enough in the
Pacific to block the Japanese
advance.
With the ugly exception of the JapaneseAmerican concentration camps, World War II
proceeded in the United States without the
fanaticism and violations of civil liberties that
occurred in World War I. The economy was
effectively mobilized, using new sources of labor
such as women and Mexican braceros. Numerous
African Americans and Indians also left their
traditional rural homelands and migrated to warindustry jobs in the cities of the North and West.
The war brought full employment and prosperity,
as well as enduring social changes, as millions of
Americans were uprooted and thrown together in
the military and in new communities across the
country. Unlike European and Asian nations,
however, the United States experienced
relatively little economic and social devastation
from the war.
The tide of Japanese conquest was stemmed at the
Battles of Midway and the Coral Sea, and American
forces then began a slow strategy of “island hopping”
toward Tokyo. Allied troops first invaded North Africa
and Italy in 1942–1943, providing a small, compromise
“second front” that attempted to appease the badly
weakened Soviet Union as well as the anxious British.
The real second front came in June 1944 with the DDay invasion of France. The Allies moved rapidly across
France, but faced a setback in the Battle of the Bulge in
the Low Countries.
Meanwhile, American capture of the Marianas
Islands established the basis for extensive
bombing of the Japanese home islands.
Roosevelt won a fourth term as Allied troops
entered Germany and finally met the Russians,
bringing an end to Hitler’s rule in May 1945.
After a last round of brutal warfare on Okinawa
and Iwo Jima, the dropping of two atomic bombs
ended the war against Japan in August 1945.
“Never before have we
had so little time in which
to do so much.”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt,
1942
Pearl Harbor Memorial
2,887 Americans Dead
The Allies Trade Space for Time
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When Japan attacked the United States
at Pearl Harbor, millions of infuriated
Americans, especially on the west coast,
instantly changed their views from
isolationist to avenger.
However, America, led by the wise
Franklin D. Roosevelt, resisted such
pressures, to attack Japan 1st, instead
taking a “get Germany first” approach to
the war, for if Germany were to defeat
Britain before the Allies could beat
Japan, there would be no stopping Hitler
and his men.
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Meanwhile, just enough troops
would be sent to fight Japan to keep
it in check.
America had the hardship of preparing
for war, since it had been in isolation for
the preceding decades, and the test
would be whether or not it could
mobilize quickly enough to stop
Germany and make the world safe for
democracy (again).
The Allies Trade
Space for Time
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Time was the most needed munition.
America, led by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, took a “get Germany first”
approach to the war. (If Britain fell to
Germany before the Allies beat Japan,
Hitler and his men would be
unstoppable.)
A few troops would be sent to fight Japan
to keep in check while the Allies battled
Germany.
Once at war, America’s greatest
challenge was to retool itself for all-out
war production, while hoping that the
dictators would not meanwhile crush
their adversaries.
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The U.S. had to feed,
clothe, and arm itself,
as well as transport
its forces to far away
regions.
The U.S. also had to
provide excessive
amounts of food and
munitions to it's
hard-pressed allies.
The Shock of War
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The attack by the Japanese at Pearl
Harbor increased national unity.
Americans clamoured for an assault on
the Axis powers.
The few Axis supporters in the U.S.
melted away, while many Americans and
German Americans loyally supported the
nation's war program.
The newly elected conservative
Congress (1942) wiped out many New
Deal programs, such as the Civilian
Conservation Corps, the Works Progress
Administration, and the National Youth
Administration.
“Dr. New Deal” was replaced by “Dr.
Win-the-War.”
WWII was no idealistic crusade.
Most Americans didn't even
know what the Atlantic Charter
(declaration of U.S. goals going
into the war such as to fight
Germany first, and Japan
second) was.
Overall, most ethnic groups in
the United States during
WWII were further
assimilated into American
society.
Unfortunately the Japanese
Americans were an exception to
this concept.
Japanese Internment Camps
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Japanese Americans were placed concentration
camps during WWII as a result of anti-Japanese
prejudice and fear.
President Roosevelt, fearing that some Japanese
Americans might act as saboteurs for Japan in
case of invasion passed Executive Order #9066.
On the Pacific Coast, 110,000 Japanese
Americans were taken from their homes and
herded into internment camps.
Many Japanese Americans lost hundreds of
millions of dollars in property and foregone
earnings while in the camps.
The 1944 Supreme Court case, Korematsu v.
U.S., upheld the constitutionality of the Japanese
relocation.
It took the U.S. government more then four
decades, in 1988, to officially apologize for its
actions and approve the payment of reparations
of $20,000 to each camp survivor.
The Japanese
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“Issei”- Japanese word
for first
“Nissei”-Japanese word
for second
Between 1885-1924, about 200,000 Japanese migrated to
Hawaii, and around 180,000 to the U.S. mainland.
Due to Japan's system of compulsory education, Japanese
immigrants were on average better educated and more literate
than European immigrants.
Many Japanese immigrants moved quickly into farming.
Many white workers and farmers were jealous of Japanese
success.
1908- President Roosevelt negotiated the “Gentlemen's
Agreement,” which limited Japanese emigration.
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1913- Japanese immigrants already living in the U.S. were
denied the right to own land by the California legislature.
Legally barred from becoming citizens, Issei became more
determined than ever for their American-born children ,
Nissei, would reap the full benefits of their birthright.
Japanese parents encouraged their children to learn English,
to excel in school, and to get a college education.
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Massive military ordersover $100 billion in 1942
alone-ended the Great
Depression by creating
demand for jobs and
production.
Building the
War Machine
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Shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser
was dubbed “Sir
Launchalot” because his
methods of ship assembly
churned out one fully
assembled ship in 14 days.
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Farmers rolled out more
food, but the new sudden
spurt in production made
prices soar-a problem that
was finally resolved by the
regulation of prices by the
Office of Price
Administration.
The War Production Board
halted manufacture of
nonessential items such as
cars, and when the Japanese
seized vital rubber supplies
in British Malaya and the
Dutch East Indies, the U.S.
imposed a national speed
limit and gasoline rationing
to save tires.
Many essential goods were
rationed
The War Labor Board
(WLB) imposed ceilings on
wage increases.
Labor Unions
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Labor unions pledged not
to strike during the war.
Some did.
June 1943- Congress
passed the SmithConnally Anti-Strike Act.
Allowed the federal
government to seize and
operate industries
threatened by or under
strike.
Strikes only accounted for
less than 1% of the total
working hours of the U.S.
wartime laboring force.
The United Mine Workers who were led by John Lewis,
was a union group that did strike during the war.
Manpower and Womanpower
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The armed forced had nearly 15 million
men and 216,000 women and some of
these “women in arms” included the
WAACS (Army), the WAVES (Navy),
and SPARS (Coast Guard).
Due to an insufficient supply of workers
(both men and women were fighting in
the war), the Bracero Program was
introduced. Mexican workers were
brought to America as resident
workers.
The employment of more than 6
million women in American industry
during the war led to the establishment
of day-care centers by the government.
Upon the war’s end, many did not
return to their homes, though
ultimately 2/3 of women did return
home due to family obligations.
The servicemen that came home to
them helped produce a baby boom that
is still being felt today.