Essential Questions:How did the United States become

involved in world War II?How do you think populations in the US, such as women, African Americans, and

Japanese Americans responded to the war?

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Sept. 1939, FDR persuades congress to pass the “cash-and-carry” provision• Countries in war could buy US arms as long as

they pay in cash and for transportation • He argued this would help France and Britain

and keep us out of war – isolationists attack After 6 weeks, Congress passes the

Neutrality Act of 1939 – Cash-and-carry• Too little too late?

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Summer 1940, France had fallen and Britain was under siege

FDR provided “all aid short of war”• sent 500,000 rifles and 80,000 machine guns• Traded 50 old destroyers for leases on British military

bases in Caribbean and Newfoundland Sept. 27, Germany, Italy, and Japan sign a mutual

defense treaty – The Tripartite Pact• Rescue and help should be given if needed between the 3• Aimed at keeping US out of war. How?• They knew that the last thing America wanted was to be in

a war that was in both the Atlantic and Pacific The three nations became known as the Axis

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1940 Nazi victories lead to increases in defense spending

1st peace time draft enacted- Selective Training & Service Act• 16 mil men between 21-35 were registered• 1 mil from them would be drafted for 1 year

but would only serve in the Western Front• FDR announces to a listening nation the first

number drawn from the draft

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1940- FDR runs for 3rd term against republican Wendell Willkie

Both had almost identical policies, so the public voted for the one they were most familiar with

FDR reelected with 55% of votes

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FDR tells nation if Britain falls, Axis powers will be free to conquer the world• To prevent this, U.S. must become “the great

arsenal of democracy”• Late 1940 Britain has no more cash to buy arms• 1941- Lend Lease Act- U.S. to lend or lease

supplies for defense• Compared it to lending a hose to a neighbor

whose house was on fire – isolationists disagree

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1941, Hitler broke his agreement he made in 1939 with Stalin to not invade the USSR• An “enemy of my enemy is my friend”

FDR begins sending supplies to Soviets• Many Americans are not happy with this• Churchill says, “If Hitler invaded hell, the

British would be prepared to work with the devil himself”

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So . . . Sending supplies to USSR is one thing. . . Getting there is a little trickier

Hitler deploys 100s of U-boats to prevent the delivery of those supplies by attacking ships

Attacks became known as “wolf pack attacks”• Groups of 40 subs would patrol at night in North

Atlantic• Sunk up to 350,000 tons of shipment within 1 month

Sept. 1941, FDR grants navy permission to send warships out to attack U-boats• Sonar was a relatively new technology used to find U-

boats and bring them down “You sunk my battleship!”

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FDR calls for “Quarantine” of the aggressor nations.

75% of Americans want to vote on war

FDR & Congress said no

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FDR & Churchill meet on the USS Augusta to develop & issue the Atlantic Charter- a declaration of war aims:• Collective security, disarmament, self-

determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of seas

Allies – nations that fight Axis powers • Signed by 26 nations

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Germans fire on U.S. ships FDR orders navy to shoot U-boats on

sight U-boat attacks lead Senate to repeal

ban on arming merchant ships Undeclared naval war

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Hideki Tojo• Chief of staff for Japanese army that invades

China• Seizes French and British bases in Indochina

(Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)• U.S. cuts off trade with Japan

Included oil to fuel boats Placed embargo on oil

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Tojo meets with Japanese Prime Minister and promises to ease conflict with US

Instead, Nov. 5th, Tojo orders Japanese navy to prepare an attack on US soil

US is able to break the code about the attack, but they do not know where and when it will be

FDR sends a military war warning to bases in Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines

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Dec. 7th, 1941, the Japanese war planes attack US’s largest naval base in the Pacific

Over 180 war planes dropped bombs in early morning.

US was taken by surprise and was unprepared for the attack

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Now lets see a video about Medal of Honor recipient John Finn as it truly happened in Pearl Harbor

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Attacked targets:1: USS California2: USS Maryland3: USS Oklahoma4: USS Tennessee5: USS West Virginia6: USS Arizona7: USS Nevada8: USS Pennsylvania9: Ford Island NAS10: Hickam field

Lasted less than 2 hours killed 2,403 Americans

• wounded 1,178 more sunk or damaged 21 ships

• 8 battleships, destroyed/damaged 300 aircrafts 3 aircraft carriers avoided any

damage • proved crucial to war’s outcome

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• Dec 8th FDR ask Congress to declare War against Japan- they do

• Germany & Italy declare war on the U.S.

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Choose the dictator:• Was in prison after WWI?• Fascist leader who created a private army

called the black shirts?• Wrote the famous book Mein Kampf that

was the source of policy for his party?• Communist leader who killed or exiled

anyone who spoke against his regime?

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What organization failed to do anything to stop Axis powers and their imperialism before WWII?

What event started WWII in Europe? What countries made up the Axis powers? What countries made up the main Allied

powers? What phrase did FDR use to describe The

Pearl Harbor Attack? Provide a definition for The Holocaust. What word can describe a hatred for Jews?

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After the attack on Pearl Harbor, The Japanese thought we would just shrink

The Japan Times boasted that the US had been reduced to a third-rate power and was “trembling in her shoes”

We were trembling with RAGE though, NOT fear

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After the attack, the military lines filled up with young men wanting to be heroes

5 million volunteer, but it was not enough

The Selective Service System expanded the draft and provided another 10 million

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There was so much need for a military work force that the Army Chief of staff, George Marshall pushed for the formation of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps

• May 15, 1942, Non-combat positions, thousands enlist

• Paid salary, but not the same benefits as men

In July 1943, Auxiliary is dropped and the WAC are granted full military benefits

• Nurses, radio operators, electricians, pilots04/21/2324

Minorities question their rights. “Why fight for democracy in another

country, when we don’t even have equal rights?” wrote one African-American newspaper

Reader responded: “Just carve on my tombstone, ‘Here lies a black man killed fighting a yellow man for the protection of a white man’”

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Despite the discrimination, 300,000 Mexican Americans enlist

1 million African Americans join• Lived and worked in segregated units and

were limited to non-combat roles 13,000 Chinese Americans and 33,000

Japanese Americans• Served as spies and interpreters

25,000 Native Americans (800 women)

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In Feb. 1942, end of the automobile production for private use

Within weeks of the shutdown, the plants retooled for production of tanks, planes, boats, and command cars

Not the only ones• Mechanical pencils – bomb parts• Bedspreads – mosquito netting• Soft-drinks – filling shells with explosives

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Factories convert from civilian to war production Shipyards, defense plants expand, new ones built People work at record speed 18m workers in war industries- 6 m women- 2m

minorities Propaganda like “Rosie the Riveter” were created

to encourage women to get jobs in war industries

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Founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters pushes against discrimination

Organizes a walk on Washington on July 1, 1941

Banner read “We Loyal Colored Americans Demand the Right to Work and Fight for Our Country”

FDR calls him and backs out fearing a conflict in DC

Leads to new jobs opportunities

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Executive order 8802 “to provide for the full & equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, without discrimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin”

1941, Office of Scientific Research & Development (OSRD) to help with War Effort• Technology – sonar• Chemicals – DDT to rid soldiers of body lice• Medicine – penicillin for injuries

Secret New Weapon• Germany had discovered that splitting uranium

atoms released tons of energy• Einstein wrote to FDR warning him of this

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First Look into technology • Would take 3-5 years to create

an atomic bomb• To speed this time up FDR

created a secret project in 1942 Manhattan Project

• Development of Atomic Bomb as quickly as possible – Oak Ridge, TN

• Einstein, Fermi, Oppenheimer

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Because all factories were making war products and none for consumers, demand decreased and prices were expected to increased

FDR created the Office of Price Administration OPA• Freezes prices, fights inflation

Higher taxes, and nation encouraged to use excess money to buy War bonds

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Government needed to ensure that the armed forces received the resources they needed to win the war

WPB• Allocates raw materials

Tin cans, paper, rags, cooking fat, scrap iron• Collection of recycled materials• Children scouring attics

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In addition the OPA set up a system of rationing- fixed allotments of goods needed by military

Under this system, households received coupon books for buying scarce goods such as:• Sugar, meat, coffee, shoes, gasoline

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Choose the dictator:1. Was in prison after WWI?2. Fascist leader who created a private army

called the black shirts?3. Wrote the famous book Mein Kampf that

was the source of policy for his party?4. Communist leader who killed or exiled

anyone who spoke against his regime?

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5. What organization failed to do anything to stop Axis powers and their imperialism before WWI?

6. What event started WWI in Europe?7. What countries made up the Axis powers?8. What countries made up the main Allied

powers?9. What phrase did FDR use to describe The

Pearl Harbor Attack?10. What word can describe a hatred for

Jews?04/21/23

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