Mobilizing for War Lesson 23 -4 The Main Idea The outbreak of World War II spurred the mobilization of American military and industrial might. Reading Focus • How did the U. S. armed forces mobilize to fight World War II? • What role did American industry and science play in mobilizing to fight World War II? • How did mobilization challenge the nation’s ideals of freedom?
U. S. Armed Forces Mobilize • Once the United States entered the war, it had to mobilize, or bring its forces into readiness. • In 1940 the government had begun to increase military spending. – This helped end the Great Depression. – Thousands found work in factories, making supplies for the military. • Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall led the mobilization effort. • In addition to equipment and supplies, the United States needed soldiers, GI’s- government issue • American women filled a variety of vital roles in the military. • New military bases were needed to train and house soldiers.
What were Americans Fighting For? • The Four Freedoms • Roosevelt’s Speech
Mobilizing the Armed Forces Finding Soldiers Women Military Bases • The government expanded the draft, which had been reinstated in 1940. • 10, 000 joined the WAVES, a navy program. • Most bases were built in rural areas. • Millions of young men volunteered. • Some 16 million Americans entered the armed forces. • 1, 000 joined the WASPs, an air force program. • 150, 000 served in the WAC, an army program. • Oveta Culp Hobby led the WACs; she was a colonel. • The military bases transformed parts of the United States. • California, Florida, and Texas became home to large numbers of soldiers.
American Industry and Science in World War II • Troops needed proper equipment to fight World War II. – Factories that produced consumer goods were converted to the production of military supplies. – Roosevelt called for the production of new planes and tanks. • War supplies had to be shipped overseas. – Submarines took a terrible toll on American shipping. – American shipyards turned out thousands of new vessels to replace those lost during the war. – Henry Kaiser build the so-called liberty ships using assembly-line techniques. • Wartime agencies regulated what factories produced, what prices they could charge, and how the nation’s raw materials could be used. • Producing supplies to fight the war required many workers. • Government spending during the war created millions of new jobs. • Technology played an important role in World War II.
Mobilizing Industry and Science • • Women solved the problem. Millions began to work outside the home in industrial jobs. • Rosie the Riveter Factories needed workers at the same time men were leaving to join the armed forces. Working women of the war were represented by the symbolic figure known as Rosie the Riveter. Problems for • • Working women • Faced hostile reaction from workers Worried about leaving their children alone Earned much less than men • • After the War Began at the bottom because they lacked senority Government and others assumed women would go back into the home • Returning soldiers expected to get their jobs back • New campaign encouraged women to leave their jobs
Rosie the Riveter
Mobilizing Industry and Science • • The National War Labor Board was established in 1941 to help settle labor disputes. • The Smith-Connally Act passed in 1943 - govt could take over important industries • Labor in WW II Many workers joined labor unions and the government was concerned about strikes. The Manhattan Project began a top-secret mission to build an atomic bomb. Mobilizing Science • Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and other American scientists raced to develop this weapon ahead of the Germans.
Freedom at Home African Americans in the military African Americans in the workforce • Hundreds of thousands served during World War II. • Found jobs in factories that had been unavailable to them before the war • They broke down barriers that had long blocked their way. • Tuskegee airmen • They continued to face discrimination (ex. Segregated units). • Still faced discrimination • A. Philip Randolph called for a march on Washington to protest their unfair treatment More Challenges • President issued executive order to outlaw discrimination in government defense jobs. • Fair Employment Practices Committee • Pittsburg Carrier launched double V campaign • Victory in Europe and at home
Challenges for Hispanic Americans • Demand for farm labor led to the Bracero Program, which gave Mexican workers the chance to work in the United States. • Tension over the increasing numbers of Hispanic workers led to the zoot suit riots in June 1943.
Zoot Suits
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