Schinler’s arc
Section 4
War on the home front
Main idea: To defeat Axis Powers, United States citizens from all walks of life committed to the war effort.
The Production Battle
As in World War 1, federal agencies took on the direction of private companies doing war work. After a Senate investigation revealed corruption and mismanagement among companies involved in war production, Roosevelt gave a War Production Boardstrong regulatory power.
Rapid Conversion to War Production
By 1942 nearly 35% of American production went to war materials.Soon, America’s production of war materials matched the total output of Germany, Italy and Japan combined.
Financing the War
To raise funds for war effort the government increased taxes and sold war bonds. •To help prevent strikes, a National War Labor Board was established to settle labor disputes by mediation.
The War And Social Change
As the need for defense workers increased in America, millions of men joined the military and more women than ever entered the workforce. Advertisements claimed that “If you can drive a car, you can run a machine.
Women Assume Nontraditional Roles
Women were encouraged to take up positions in the workforce from everyday things like the radio and the newspaper. They stepped into the men’s roles and took up hard labor jobs but the encountered resistance from their male coworkers.
Women Pilots
Out of 25,000 women who applied to be pilots only 2,000 made it, half of whom won their wings, however they were not allowed to fly for the military again until 1977. The government realized that even with the women in the workforce there was still slack to be picked up so the government removed the restrictions on women’s work hours allowing them to pick up the said slack.
Opportunities for African Americans
•Many African Americans left the south and got jobs in the Northeast, Midwest and California. •By 1945 thousands of African Americans gave up jobs in farming for jobs in manufacturing.
Resentment Toward Social Change
In California people were prejudice against the “Okies” who were farmers from Texas and Oklahoma who lost their farms in theDust Bowl. People were also prejudice against African Americans moving into new cities. In response to prejudice acts the Government established a the Fair Employment Practices Commission.
Detention of Japanese Americans
•Japanese Americans were put into detention camps because people thought their loyalty to Japan was stronger than their loyalty to the United States. •Despite the prejudice against Japanese Americans many of them stayed loyal to the United States and even tours with the U.S. Army
