United States Mobilization for War & Homefront

1. United States Mobilization for War& Homefront

2. Newly Created Government Provisions • Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, 1937 • Isolationistic influence • Neutrality Act of 1936 • “Cash and Carry” • Selective service act of October1940 • Peacetime draft • Conscientious Objection • Lend-Lease Act 1941 • Economic declaration of war on Germany } Terms and Forms of Aid to Allied powers Robyn Weiner

3. New Government Agencies • Office of War Information (OWI) 1942 • organized the distribution of war information to the public to help create means of understanding the war • War Production Board (WPB) 1942 • Oversaw industrial transformation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eoE12ywDzA&feature=related

4. More Agencies • Office of War and Mobilization 1942 • supervised efforts to distribute proper materials for converted industries, regulated production of civilian goods, established production contracts, negotiate organized labor, and controlled inflation • Woman’s Army Corps (WAC) 1943 • provided secretarial workers, truck drivers, instructors, and lab technicians

5. War Bonds: What are they? • War Bonds are technically a personal loan to the US government • They are used to remove money from circulation and in turn reduce inflation • Offered in denominations $25 up to $10000, with limitations • Sold at 75% face value Erik Mahal

6. War Bond Specifics • First called defense bonds until December 7 1941 • Many famous celebrities of the time were contracted by the government to sell War Bonds • The celebrity campaign netted over $838,540,000 worth of bonds • Was sold to FDR by Henry Morgenthau

7. War Bonds Unite a Nation • Over 85 million citizens purchased war bonds • Totaling over 185.7 billion dollars • Sports teams events held special events • News Broadcasts (Kate Smith) • Civilian D-day when planes dropped posters • Norman Rockwell provided original art as advertising

8. Propaganda in the U.S. • Propaganda was believed at first to be useless by US government • Robert E Sherwood and the Foreign Information Service determined that America needed to fight just as much with words • Office of War Information than took over the Propaganda ideas • Promoted US involvement, Military Enrollment, and War Bonds Sales

9. Utilizing the Radio • John Houseman was the first producer of international US propaganda • Very theatrical and intense until invasion of North Africa in 1942 • Tone was than calm news reporting rather than over the top • Took more sobering stand point rather than alluding to enemy bestiality • Germans maintained alluding method and back fired when war turned

10. Propaganda Posters • Cheapest and easiest media to produce • Leaned more towards facts rather than imaginative • Norman Rockwell, Ben Shahn and other famous artists of the time were contracted the government for their unique art styles • War Bond Posters were most abundent

11. War Bonds Propaganda

12. The Roles of Women in WWII • Posters glamorized war • As well as the importance of the non- traditional jobs for women • With 10 million men at war there was no way we would be able to win the war with out the help of women • Some posters use economic prosperity to get women into the work force Niger Lively

13. More About the Roles of Women • In 1944 when the war was at its highest over 19 million women was employed in the united state more than ever • They didn’t allow women in combat, so women took the jobs that men did that put them on the field of combat and some times it came to them • They used women pilots to support the air fair but they didn’t get recognized until the 1970s

14. The Roles of Women (Continued) • Women that served in the American military in world war 2: • Army - 140,000 • Navy - 100,000 • Marines - 23,000 • Coast Guard - 13,000 • Air Force - 1,000 • Army and Navy Nurse Corps - 74,000

15. The Role of African Americans • About 1 million African Americans served in the war • Half served in Europe • A large number faced racial discrimination • Before the war the military maintain a segregated force • They where classified as unfit for combat and wasn’t allowed on the front line • In 1941 that all change • Pressure from African American civil rights leaders persuaded the government to set up all black combat units • It was and experiment to see if African Americans can perform task on the same level as whites

16. More About the Roles of African Americans • 84 Woodrow Crockett was a part of that • He was a Tuskegee airman, the first group of blacks to be trained by the air force • He flew 149 missions in 1944-1945 • When they reached 200 missions the never lost a bomber to a enemy • Bill De Shields: he is a historian and the founder of the black military history institute of America • He say the symbol of black participation was the “ double v”. A victory of the enemy and a victory at home. • By the time the Vietnam war came in the 60s and 70s African Americans did it all

17. Hispanic Involvement in WWII • Two units from New Mexico were activated and dispatched to Philippine islands • After Japan had attacked the pearl harbor and forced America into war • Their forces attacked America’s position in the Philippines • Fight with the Filipinos the made a great stand against the Japanese for three month • It was said that they were the last ones to get down

18. Problems and Conflicts • War contributed to increased prices and shortages in food, housing, gas, clothing, transportation • Standard of living decreased as a result • Increases in salary due to jobs created by the war did not improve purchasing power of most citizens • Many Americans were unhappy that they had to sacrifice so much • Wealthy lived luxuriously on products purchased on the newly created black market Jamie Campbell

19. Problems: Rationing • Wartime rationing: • Sugar: May 1942 • Coffee November: 1942 • Canned Goods: March 1, 1943 (Meat and butter later that month) • Meat: 28oz. per person per week • Butter: 4oz. per person per week • Gasoline Rationing (May 1941): • Stickers distributed based on use of the vehicle (i.e. for workers commute, on the job use, pleasure, and emergency vehicles) • Labled “A” through “E” to indicate usage and amount of gasoline allowed for purchase • Led to suspicion and scandal

20. Conflicts: Companies reaping benefits of war? • April 1943: the government declares 27 million workers "essential", forbidding them to leave their jobs • Many union members who committed to a no-strike pledge held protests • Protests concerned workers’ safety and working conditions • Many were “walkouts”