US Mobilizing for US Mobilizing for WarWar

A. Industry Gears Up for War1. War Time Production– Industries adapted to meet war time demands– Factories made tanks, jeeps, guns, and

ammunition

2. War Production Board (WPB)– Agency created to regulate the economy– Oversaw the conversion of factories to war

production– 1942: WPB banned the production of

automobiles– Factories would now produce military

equipment

3. General Motors– Converted 100% of

its production to the war effort

– Made airplanes, trucks, tanks, guns, and shells

– Made $12.3 billion worth of war material

B. Troops1. Selective Training and Service Act– 1st peacetime draft in US history– Required all men ages 21-35 to register– Later changed to 18-38– Deferments granted for medical and

religious reasons

2. The Numbers– 16 million

Americans served in the military

– 1 million were African Americans

– 300,000 were Mexican Americans

C. Support and Sacrifice

1. Taxes– Taxes were greatly increased to pay for

war– 1st time Middle and Low income families

had to pay income tax– Taxes only paid for 40% of the war

2. War Bonds– Government sold bonds to pay for the

rest of the war – Americans bought bonds at one price

then could later turn them in and get paid a larger amount

3. Rationing– Americans were asked to ration food,

clothing, gas, and other things to support the war effort

– Rationing introduced in 1942 due to shortages of sugar and coffee

– 1943: "point-rationing" was started for meats, canned fish, edible fats, cheese, and canned milk.

– Clothing and material were also rationed• No French cuffs or sleeves. • No pockets of wool. • No interlinings containing any virgin or

reprocessed wool. • No cuffs on coats. • No belts wider than 2 inches. • No hoods or scarves for blouses. • For men and boys, "no second pair of

trousers of matching material, no outside patch pockets of wool."

D. Opportunities and Obstacles1. Women– Many new jobs opened up when the US

entered the war– Women were encouraged to take these jobs– Women replaced men in factories and

business offices

2. African Americans– Many African Americans moved North

to work in factories– Received less pay than whites in the

same job– Protested and marched on Washington

DC– The Fair Employment Practices

Committee (FEPC) created to stop discrimination in war industries and government jobs

3. Mexicans– During the war there were labor

shortages in the Southwest– US government authorized Mexican

workers (braceros) to enter the country– 200, 000 braceros worked in the

agricultural industry in the Southwest