Chapter 17, Section 1

1. Chapter 17, Section 1 Mobilizing for Defense

2. Quick Write (Review): What event forced the U.S. to become officially involved in WWII? Who declared war on whom? • The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 12/07/41 • The U.S. declared war on Japan, then Germany & Italy declared war on the U.S. (12/08/41)

3. Chapter 17, Section 1 • The U.S. was determined to vindicate the attack on Pearl Harbor, and used the battle cry, “Remember Pearl Harbor!” as they went to war • After Pearl Harbor military recruiting offices in the U.S. were full of young men eager to fight for their country • 5 million volunteered for military service, and another 10 million soldiers would later be drafted

4. Chapter 17, Section 1 • The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) was formed in 1942 so that women could serve in non-combat positions • Women in the WAAC worked as nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricians, and pilots • The military was segregated by race • Many African Americans and other minority groups volunteered to fight for the U.S. or were drafted

5. Chapter 17, Section 1 • Approximately 300,000 Mexican-Americans and 1 million African Americans fought in WWII • In Los Angeles, Mexican-Americans were 1/10 of the city’s population but accounted for 1/5 of the city’s war casualties • Chinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and Native Americans also volunteered to fight for the U.S.

6. Chapter 17, Section 1 • In February 1942, the last car for private use rolled off the assembly line • Factories were retooled to produce tanks, planes, boats, command cars, and weapons--supplies for war • Industry in the U.S. was expanding rapidly • Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser built 7 new shipbuilding yards in 1942 • Kaiser’s workers built a cargo carrier ship (the Hull 440) in a record 4-days

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8. Chapter 17, Section 1 • With so many men fighting in the war, factories had to find new workers • More than 6 million women worked in factories during WWII • Rosie the Riveter became a popular symbol of women helping with the war effort

9. Chapter 17, Section 1 • Factories also hired more than 2 million minority workers • A. Philip Randolph founded The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters to protest against discrimination in the military and in factories • Randolph organized a march on Washington D.C. in 1941 • As a result, FDR issues an executive order saying that employers must not discriminate

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11. Chapter 17, Section 1 • FDR created the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) to research new war technologies • The OSRD developed better radar and sonar as well as penicillin (an antibiotic) to fight illness among soldiers • In 1941, the OSRD started a secret project to develop an atomic bomb, known as the Manhattan Project

12. Chapter 17, Section 1 • The U.S. government needed to be sure that all Americans were helping with the war effort • The Office of Price Administration (OPA) started rationing goods such as meat, shoes, sugar, gasoline, and coffee • The War Production Board (WPB) collected paper, scrap iron, tin cans, rags, and cooking fat to help with the war effort • The government used PROPAGANDA to help get Americans to support the war