The American Economy
The responsibility of the American economy fell of the WPB. They focused on transforming industry to a more militaristic centered production system. According to TCi, "Automobile manufacturers, for example, shifted from making car engines to building airplane and tank engines. Other conversions called for more dramatic changes. A soft drink company might reconfigure its machinery and retrain its workers to pack artillery shells with explosives, while a maker of model trains might begin producing bomb fuses." This transformation actually helped the economy to rebound from WW1. The NWLB was also founded to help settle disputes among the production of war goods. Government spending increased, and so did taxes. Bonds also played a major role in the U.S. money supply for the war. The OPA was also created in order to combat inflation and ration consumer goods. Americans also boosted the economy by saving resources and donating what they could.
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American Troops
16 million Americans had volunteered to enlist in the military through the draft. This bolstered the army's numbers from 300,000 to 1.5 million servicemen. After the actions taken by the Japanese against the U.S., Americans took it personal to seek revenge for the live that were lost. It offered the opportunity to show patriotism. The U.S. also had a surplus of GIs. GIs had minimal time to prepare for combat, and it didn't fully prepare them for combat. The process of turning civilians into troops was tough, and if they did survive the war, their lives would be changed forever.
African-Americans, Japanese, and Women
After the attacks on Pearl Harbor, immigrants from the Axis countries were faced with prejudice. Taking the worst of this was Japanese Americans. Japanese Americans carried special identification cards and were also sometimes placed into Intermittent Camps. Roosevelt also took action by requesting the removal of Japanese Americans from the pacific territory. They were taken and placed in large military zones, given only a couple weeks to sell what they had. Japanese American Fred Korematsu appealed the order taking a case to the Supreme Court (Korematsu vs The Supreme Court). They attempt had no avail as the court ruled that a groups civil rights could be set aside during a time of war. The Japanese that weren't in camps also fought in the war. The 442nd regiment team, "won many medals during the war, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1946, President Harry Truman told the 442nd, “You fought for the free nations of the world. You fought not only the enemy, you fought prejudice—and you won.” (TCi).
Women had new opportunities with all the men abandoning their jobs and going to fight the war. In fact, the number of women working outside the house increased from 12,000,000 to 18,000,000. Women mainly worked in feminine areas, however more than two million worked in industries where hard labor was required. Women also faced prejudice and in the case of African-American women, racism on the job. Women were also under payed, as they balanced the workforce and their families. After showing their worth in the workplace, the WAC was formed.
African-Americans also played an important role in the war as they were engaged in the workforce at home and pushed the government to end racial discrimination. African-Americans formed their own unit and were sometimes entrusted with the most demanding tasks. The Tuskegee Airmen group is also the only group in the American forces to not lose a bomber to enemy planes. While at home, Roosevelt outlawed discrimination from contractors, which allowed for a ton of African-Americans to move North. The faced racism but the NAACP, didn't place high demands.
Women had new opportunities with all the men abandoning their jobs and going to fight the war. In fact, the number of women working outside the house increased from 12,000,000 to 18,000,000. Women mainly worked in feminine areas, however more than two million worked in industries where hard labor was required. Women also faced prejudice and in the case of African-American women, racism on the job. Women were also under payed, as they balanced the workforce and their families. After showing their worth in the workplace, the WAC was formed.
African-Americans also played an important role in the war as they were engaged in the workforce at home and pushed the government to end racial discrimination. African-Americans formed their own unit and were sometimes entrusted with the most demanding tasks. The Tuskegee Airmen group is also the only group in the American forces to not lose a bomber to enemy planes. While at home, Roosevelt outlawed discrimination from contractors, which allowed for a ton of African-Americans to move North. The faced racism but the NAACP, didn't place high demands.
Jews and Mexican-Americans
While Jews faced hardships at home they also had to face the fact that Jews were being tortured in concentration camps in Germany. As many Jews were stripped of citizenship and killed, the U.S. hardly preached this story to the American people. When hearing about this however, the Jews in America urged the government to help Jews in Germany. Although the government took this into account, they had a hard time letting thousands of European Jews inside the country. However in 1944, the Refugee Board put into action a plan in which Jews could stay in American camps or migrate to North Africa. Jews in the U.S. also became GIs and went to war.
Mexican Americans also left their farms and enlisted in the war to support their country. Roughly 500,000 Mexicans helped the U.S. by serving in the war. According to TCi, more Mexicans fought in combat than any other ethnic group. Mexicans also faced discrimination during and before the war, whether it was from whites or the contractors of high paying jobs. Mexican Americans also got involved in riots during the war. The investigators hired to examine the riots determined that they were racially sparked. Wartime for Mexicans was not easy.
Mexican Americans also left their farms and enlisted in the war to support their country. Roughly 500,000 Mexicans helped the U.S. by serving in the war. According to TCi, more Mexicans fought in combat than any other ethnic group. Mexicans also faced discrimination during and before the war, whether it was from whites or the contractors of high paying jobs. Mexican Americans also got involved in riots during the war. The investigators hired to examine the riots determined that they were racially sparked. Wartime for Mexicans was not easy.