the war effort stirred patriotism and promoted economic recovery new opportunities for women and...
TRANSCRIPT
The Home Front
The war effort stirred patriotism and promoted economic recovery
New opportunities for women and minorities would spur stronger efforts to ensure equal rights after the war
Why it Matters
Once industry exhausted the available men, women found jobs for the taking
Government and industry launched a campaign urging women to do their part
In time, women made up 1/3 of the workforce
New Economic Opportunities
Many women found jobs that fell out of the traditional realm of women’s work
¾ of women working in industry were married
Rosie the Riveter-symbol of working womenThe experienced gained helped create
opportunities for their daughtersIncreased the building of day cares
Women Work for Victory
Many jobs remained segregatedDouble V Campaign- victory against Fascism
abroad and victory against discriminationFDR hoped to put civil rights on the back
burner
African Americans Demand Fair Employment
Executive order 8802- assured fair hiring practices in any job funded with government money (Fair Employment Practices Committee)
WWII helped set the Civil Rights agenda
African Americans Demand Fair Employment
Population shifts occurred during war yearsBracero Program- bringing laborers from
Mexico to work on American farmsWartime migration led to racial violence in
many citiesZoot Suit Riots- Mexicans and Mexican
Americans dressed in stylish “zoot suits”Baggy pants and long jacketsOff duty sailor attacked “zooters”Mexicans were arrested, not the sailors
Workers on the Move
Fear spread after Pearl HarborNew policies towards immigrants and aliens
from the Axis nationsRequired to register with the government,
submit to finger printing, and list organizational affiliations
Challenges to Civil Liberties
Germans, Italians, Japanese forced to evacuate the West Coast temporarily in the Winter of 1942Once public fears subsided, Germans and Italians
were removed from the listExecutive Order 9066- designated certain areas
as war zones for which anyone might be removed for any reasonIssei- Japanese ImmigrantsNisei- native born American citizens of Japanese
descentForced to sell property and allowed only necessary
items
Aliens Face Restrictions
Interment- temporary imprisonment of members of a specific groupJapanese men, women, and children were
transported to camps in isolated locations Schools were underfundedLiving conditions were minimal
Not until 1988 did the government off an apology and $20,000 to surviving internees
442nd Regimental Combat Team- all Nisei team became the most decorated military unit in American History
Japanese Internment
Increased production of war goods created a scarcity of consumer products
Shortages led to price increases, many fear inflation
Office of Price Administration Controlled wages, set pricesRationing- coupon books that limited the
amount of certain goods one could buyBlack market- illegal sale of restricted goods
Government Manages the Economy
Office of War Information- worked closely with the media to encourage support for the warSpotlight common needs, minimize racial and
economic divisions, downplay poverty and crimeFilms and media highlighted the need to defeat
fascism Encouraged by the government and media,
Americans voluntarily contributed to the war effort“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, and do without”
Media Boosts Morale
