SSUSH19 Examine the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War - PowerPoint Presentation

SSUSH19 Examine the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, including the growth of the federal government. a. Investigate the origins of U.S. involvement in the war including Lend-lease and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. b. Examine the Pacific Theater including the difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, the Battle of Midway, Manhattan Project and the dropping of the atomic bombs. c. Examine the European Theater including difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, D-Day, and the Fall of Berlin. d. Investigate the domestic impact of the war including war mobilization, as indicated by rationing, wartime conversion, and the role of women and African Americans or Blacks. e. Examine Roosevelt’s use of executive powers including the integration of defense industries and the internment of Japanese-Americans.

a. Investigate the origins of U.S. involvement in the war including Lend-lease and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For the first two years of WWII, the United States was prevented by the Neutrality acts from directly aiding our allies as they struggled to hold back the German and Japanese war machines. FDR was forced to find creative ways to get around the law, and the most prominent example was known as “Lend-Lease.” The Neutrality Acts prevented the US from selling arms to any combatant nation, but it did not prevent the US from letting our allies “borrow” or “rent” military supplies and equipment, so the US was able to supply the British and Soviets against the Germans, and the Chinese resistance against the ongoing Japanese invasion. The entry of the United States into WWII came on December 7, 1941, after the Japanese attack on the Pacific naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. With this surprise attack, t he Japanese succeeded in destroying much of the US pacific fleet, including numerous battleships and hundreds of warplanes, and over 2500 sailors and servicemen were killed. The war had already been raging in Europe for two years, but it took this direct attack to snap the United States out of its official neutrality. Roosevelt feared that he would still not be able to intervene in Europe, but Germany, an ally of Japan also declared war on the United States. The U.S. would now have to fight two wars- one against the Japanese in the Pacific, and one against Germany and Italy in Europe and North Africa.

b . Examine the Pacific Theater including the difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, the Battle of Midway, Manhattan Project and the dropping of the atomic bombs. The Pacific Theatre in WWII presented unique supply challenges to the US because the Japanese had established an enormous perimeter in the vast Pacific basin, consisting of literally hundreds of island outposts, airstrips and supply depots. Alongside ongoing naval engagements, The US developed a strategy known as “island hopping” whereby they would concentrate their efforts on the most strategically important, or less heavily defended areas to establish a foothold as they pushed toward Japan.

Battle of Midway In the Pacific theater, The Battle of Midway stands out as a key turning point. Since Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had been on the offensive, using its powerful navy to expand the empire. After cracking the secret Japanese naval code, the U.S. learned of a plan to attack Midway Island, a U.S. possession west of Hawaii. The U.S. navy ambushed the Japanese fleet, sinking four aircraft carriers. The Japanese navy never fully recovered, remaining in defensive positions for most of the rest of the war. Much more bloody fighting remained, however, before the Japanese would be subdued into surrender.

Atomic Weapons T he first atomic weapons were developed in Los Alamos ,New Mexico under the code name “Manhattan Project.” The project to build the atomic bomb represented a momentous occasion for the collaboration between government and science. Atomic weaponry had an obvious potential to end the war quickly, so FDR poured enormous resources to the project. He died only months before a working bomb was completed- the first successful test was on July 16, 1945. Harry S. Truman, FDR’s vice president, was not even aware of the Manhattan project until after he was sworn in. As president, he was faced with the decision over whether to unleash this incredibly powerful and lethal force onto the world. Although the war in Europe was over, the war against the Japanese was dragging on. Only the Japanese mainland remained, but e stimates of U.S. casualties using conventional land forces in an attack on the Japanese mainland ranged to over 1 million men. After some debate and division among the administration and the military’s top brass about the civilian deaths that would be inevitable with such a weapon, Truman decided that the possibility to end the war quickly outweighed the negative consequences. T he first bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy,” was dropped on Hiroshima, an industrial center in the heart of Japan, on August 6, 1945. Upwards of 100,000 people were incinerated instantly- tens of thousands more died subsequently from radiation poisoning. Three days later, another atomic device was detonated over Nagasaki. Faced with such terrible destruction, and the prospect of Soviet intervention (the USSR had declared war on Japan that same day), the Japanese finally agreed to unconditional surrender. On August 15, 1945 (V-J Day), t he most destructive, costly, and deadly war in the history of mankind was finally over.

c . Examine the European Theater including difficulties the U.S. faced in delivering weapons, food, and medical supplies to troops, D-Day, and the Fall of Berlin. Although arguably not quite as complex as the Pacific Theatre, the distance between the US and Europe, and the extremely robust German defenses on the European mainland also presented some special supply challenges to the US and allied forces. And although the Germans were anticipating an eventual invasion attempt, the US and its allies were also keen not to indicate to the Nazis the time and place of that invasion. To that end, the US and British took elaborate steps to deceive and confuse German surveillance efforts by creating huge “dummy” forces (fake tanks, planes, troops, etc.) along the British coast.

D-Day D-Day refers to the date of the landing of Allied troops on Continental Europe, (June 6, 1944) along the beaches of Normandy, France. The Germans had long anticipated an Allied offensive and had fortified positions all along the French coast. Over 7000 ships carrying 100,000 soldiers, along with over 20,000 paratroopers assaulted the German defenses at Normandy. American forces at Omaha Beach suffered the highest casualties (2500 dead or wounded), but by the end of the day most of the Allied troops had gone ashore and secured the beachhead. The invasion was a success and the process of driving the Germans back across Europe could begin in earnest.

Fall of Berlin As the Allied forces pushed the Germans back across Europe from the west, t he Soviets also began driving the Germans back from Russia. By April 1945, Soviet forces broke through the last major German defenses some 35 miles from Berlin. American and British forces were also closing in on Berlin from the west. Sensing the end was near, Hitler committed suicide on 30 April, and as Berlin was bombed to rubble, Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7 May 1945. The next day was VE Day (Victory in Europe).

d. Investigate the domestic impact of the war including war mobilization, as indicated by rationing, wartime conversion, and the role of women and African Americans or Blacks. The soldiers and sailors fighting in Europe and the Pacific were not the only ones to have their lives affected. WWII had a tremendous impact on the home front as well. After Pearl Harbor, m obilizing for the war consumed the nation. Prosecuting a two front war of this magnitude required every available resource and a rationing system was quickly implemented to ensure the strength of the war effort. Foodstuffs- flour, sugar, coffee, meat- were rationed nationwide with coupons that tracked consumption. People were encouraged to grow “victory gardens” to supplement food rations. Scrap metal and rubber drives were held nationwide. Many women gave up hosiery because the silk was needed for parachutes. Fuel was also strictly rationed. In addition to rationing, most industry converted to war production. Automakers like Ford and GM, for example, began producing planes and tanks instead of sedans and coupes. Federally funded defense industries were everywhere and the unemployment of the previous decade was a memory. With so many men gone to fight, however, employers scrambled to find enough workers. Women were encouraged to take war jobs- even in heavy industry. Women all across the country were employed as metalworkers, shipbuilders, welders, and the most famous icon of women workers in the war- Rosie the Riveter.

Role of African Americans African-Americans also made important contributions to the war effort, both in military service, and in defense industries on the home front. Although the military was still segregated and Blacks were mostly confined to non-combat support units, many African-Americans served admirably and some did see combat during the war. The bravery and valor shown by these soldiers helped to erode the broadly racist stereotypes that suggested Blacks were unfit for combat, and the patriotism displayed by the African-American community at large helped to expose the paradox and hypocrisy of a nation fighting against the imperialism and racism of the Nazis would allow the sort of systematic discrimination facing Blacks in the US. Without question, the circumstances and aftermath of WWII set the stage for the Civil Rights movement that would emerge in the decades following WWII.

e . Examine Roosevelt’s use of executive powers including the integration of defense industries and the internment of Japanese-Americans. The powers of the presidency and the federal government at-large have often been expanded during wartime- (recall Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War, or Wilson’s efforts during WWI to suppress dissent). During WWII, FDR greatly expanded the parameters of presidential power by barring racial discrimination in defense industries, and by the forced relocation and internment of US citizens deemed dangerous to the internal security of the nation.

Integration of defense industries WWII was a watershed moment for African Americans and is often considered the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement. The Great Migration of southern Blacks to northern, mid-western and western cities continued throughout the war. Having equal access to those high paying war jobs required some advocacy, however, and individuals like A. Philip Randolph played an important role in opening war jobs to African Americans. A. Philip Randolph was the president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a major union for African-American railroad workers. Randolph was outspoken about the discrimination facing Black labor during the war-time job boom, and the segregation of the armed forces. He proposed organizing a protest march on Washington D.C. Roosevelt was uneasy about the political and social ramifications of a protest during wartime and convinced Randolph to postpone the march by issuing Executive Order 8802. The order prohibited racial discrimination for workers in defense industries. To enforce the law, FDR created the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) which ensured employers who received federal defense contracts did not discriminate in the hiring process. In the short term, the law gave African-Americans opportunities for high-paying defense jobs, but it is also considered one of the opening acts of the Civil Rights movement, and an indication of how important the federal government’s role in that process would be.

A. Philip Randolph

Internment Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor widespread fear of another surprise attack gripped the nation. Congressmen, governors, and mayors across the country pushed for preventative action, and FDR responded by creating a series of internment camps for Japanese-Americans, as well as some recent immigrants from Germany and Italy. Thousands of American citizens were rounded up, stripped of their property, and forced to live in these camps during the war, often in substandard housing and facing chronic supply shortages. Despite challenges in the courts, the camps operated until early 1945, when it was clear that victory in both Europe and Japan was in sight. In the 1980s President Reagan officially apologized for the episode, and provided a $20,000 reparations payment for surviving internees.