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The American Home Front

The American Home Front. December 7, 1941 - 1945. Battle of the Atlantic . First and Second Happy Time: Axis submarines attack US merchant shipping Germany:“The American Shooting Season” American defense: weak/disorganized Germany inflicted massive damage with little risk

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The American Home Front

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  1. The American Home Front December 7, 1941 - 1945

  2. Battle of the Atlantic • First and Second Happy Time: • Axis submarines attack US merchant shipping • Germany:“The American Shooting Season” • American defense: weak/disorganized • Germany inflicted massive damage with little risk • Allied Losses:36,200 sailors, 36,00 seamen, 3,500 merchant vessels, 175 warships

  3. Enlistment and Patriotism • Pre-attack: America not prepared for an all out war • 300,000 men. • Pearl Harbor • Government is overwhelmed by the number that enlist.

  4. ALL AMERICANS FOUGHT • Broke down cultural barriers • Despite discrimination at home, minority populations contributed to the war effort: • 1,000,000 African Americans • 300,000 Mexican-Americans • 33,000 Japanese Americans • 25,000 Native Americans • 13,000 Chinese Americans These “Golden 13” Great Lakes officers scored the highest marks ever on the Officers exam in 1944

  5. Women in the War Effort • Took over many jobs for servicemen, most notably in heavy industry • Some joined the military • Altered family life, brought several drawbacks • Service Opportunity: • “Women’s Army Corps” • “Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service” • “Women’s Airforce Service Pilots” A poster urging women to take manufacturing jobs to help the war effort

  6. Office of War Information (1942) • Coordinated release of war news • Promoted patriotism • Tried to recruit women into factory work • Propaganda program abroad • The Voice of America Patch worn by Office or War Information personnel

  7. Wartime Propaganda Posters Government propagandists sometimes used fear and racial slurs in order to convey their message

  8. Financing the War • U.S. spent more than $321 billion (more than $3 trillion today) • National debt skyrocketed • More Americans required to pay income taxes • War-bond sales raised needed revenue • $185 billion + sold • businesses, banks, and civilians • High interest rates

  9. War Bonds: Posters Posters such as these sought to convince Americans that they should help the war effort and stop the enemy by buying war bonds

  10. Office of Price Administration • Purpose: limit wartime inflation • ceiling prices for goods • Rationed scarce goods and consumer staples • Rationing stopped at end of war • Dissolved in 1947

  11. Contributions • Rationing • sugar, coffee, shoes, meats, and cereals • war bonds: borrowed money from its own people to help with the war • Help Allies while the U.S. prepared • Farms were producing as much food as possible. • food went to British and Russian soldiers and citizens.

  12. Victory Gardens • Government urged citizens to grow fruits and vegetables • Eased food shortages caused by rationing • Nearly 20 million started gardens • More than nine million tons of produces A government poster promoting Victory Gardens

  13. Rationing: Books and Stamps Each family received ration books (left) and stamps (above) for determining its monthly allotment.

  14. COLLECTION DRIVES

  15. Shift in Production • Peace time production to war time production • GM, Ford, and Chrysler went from creating cars to tanks. • Boeing from regular airplanes to bombers and fighter jets. • Gun makers like Colt, from hunting rifles to machine guns, flamethrowers, war rifles.

  16. War Production • U.S. producing weapons faster than anticipated • In 1 month: • up to 4,000 tanks • 4,500 planes. • Ship production also increased • protected our coasts

  17. War Production Board • Purpose: Ensure military had resources • Directed industrial output • Prohibited nonessential business activities • Allocated raw materiel • Scrap drives • Collection of waste and scrap goods for war use • Materiel included iron, aluminum, paper • Waste cooking fats for making glycerin A “War Educational Bulletin” produced by the War Production Board

  18. Scrap Drives: Posters The government used posters and publicity pictures of celebrities such as Rita Hayworth (right) to encourage citizens to recycle scrap items.

  19. Labor in the US: An Unintended Benefit • By1944 • 18 million workers were laboring in war industries (3x the # in 1941) • More than 6 million were women • Only 3 million worked prior • Pre-War: Mainly housewives • During War: 1/3 in defense industry • Lost jobs after the war ended • Nearly 2 million were minorities

  20. The War’s Economic Impact • Nominal GDP more than doubled • Wages and salaries nearly tripled • Federal civilian employment more than tripled • Female employment up by a third • Labor union membership grew by over 50 percent • National debt ballooned by over 600 percent

  21. Geographic Shifts in the Economy • South saw great prosperity • Millions of jobs in textiles, chemicals, and aluminum • Southern shipyards and aircraft plants grew • West became economic powerhouse • California especially benefited from federal expenditures An Army sentry guards new B-17 F (Flying Fortress) bombers at the airfield of Boeing's Seattle plant

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