WWII: War Comes To America

Isolationist v Interventionist

• Isolationist– “Beware foreign

entanglements.”– US lost 274,659 lives and

$22,625,253,000 in WWI– 9/10 of Americans don’t

think to go to war• Interventionist

– “Make the world safe for democracy.”

– Need to help Britain and France

– Kick start the economy– Tripartite Pact creates the

Axis Powers

Isolationist Policy

• Neutrality Act of 1935:

• “Upon the outbreak or during the progress of war, between, or among, two or more foreign states … it shall thereafter be unlawful to export arms, ammunition, or tools of war to any port of such warring states.”

Moving Away From Isolationism:“Great Arsenal For Democracy”

• Helping out Europe – give aid in all forms short of war

• Selective Service Act (1940) – 1st peacetime draft in US history

• Cash & Carry (1939) – nations buy arms in cash and carry it on their own ships

• Lend – Lease Act (1941) – credit is acceptable instead of cash

Axis v Allies

• Axis– Tripartite Pact is signed by

Germany, Italy, and Japan– Fear of a 2 ocean war for

the US

• Allies– Essentially, US, Britain,

and Soviet Union– Atlantic Charter – FDR &

Churchill meet off the coast of Newfoundland to discuss war aims, Wilson’s 14 Points, & colonialism

The Atlantic Charter:August 14, 1941

• In brief the 9 points were:– No territorial gains were to be

sought by the U.S. or U.K.– Territorial adjustments must

be in accord with wishes of the peoples concerned

– All peoples had the right to self-determination

– Trade barriers were to be lowered

– There was to be global economic cooperation & advancement of social welfare

– Freedom from want & fear– Freedom of the seas– Disarmament of aggressor

nations, postwar common disarmament

– Defeat of Germany & other Axis powers

Problems With The Axis• Germany

– U-boats (Wolfpacks) sinking American and British and ships in the Atlantic

– Holocaust• Japan

– Imperialistic tendencies– Bushido code / militaristic

leaders– China is a protectorate of

the US– US colonies in Guam &

Phillippines• GERMAN EXPANSION &

HOLOCAUST DIDN’T DRAW US IN WAR – PEARL HARBOR DID

Rape of Nanking

America Joins The War

The Homefront• Need for soldiers

– Draft 10M after 5M volunteered

• Minorities• Industry

– Factories shut down to fully make war material

– 18M workers in 1944 (6M were women)

– Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)

• War Effort– Rationing / Recycle– Propaganda– Fireside chats– War bonds– Unemployment decreases,

federal purchasing increases

Women Were Responsible For Running The Country & Driving The

War Machine

Rosie The Riveter

Women & The Armed Services• Women weren’t allowed

to fight in combat. Their service made it more possible for men to fight.

• They tested aircraft, repaired equipment, worked as electricians & plumbers.

• The 2 biggest organizations that eventually became part of the Army were:– Women Airforce Service

Pilots (WASP’s)– Women’s Army Auxiliary

Corps (WAAC’s)

Minorities In WWII

Navajo Code Talkers

The Zoot Suit Riots

• Series of riots that erupted in Los Angeles, CA, during WWII between sailors & soldiers stationed in the city & Hispanic youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored.

Anti-Japanese Feelings

Spies and Traitors??

Executive Order 9066:Japanese Internment

• Skepticism of Japanese Americans living on the West coast & Hawaii

• FDR signs interning citizens on Feb. 19, 1942 on the grounds of national security

• 110,000 are taken instantly from WA, OR, CA, & AZ; 2/3 were Nisei (born in America)

• Camps / Barbwire / Watchtowers

• In the 1990s, government apologizes & gives $25,000 per family

The 14th Amendment• “All persons born or naturalized in the United

States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

• Ratified July 1868

The 6th Amendment

• “No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

• Ratified December 1791

Personal Account

• “I remember my mother wrapping a blanket around me and my pretending to fall asleep so she would be happy, though I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. I hear there were people herded into the Hastings Park like cattle. Families were made to move in 2 hours. Abandoned everything, leaving pets and possessions at gunpoint …”– Joy Kogawa

Life In Internment Camps• “In the detention centers,

families lived in substandard housing, had inadequate nutrition and health care, and had their livelihoods destroyed; many continued to suffer psychologically long after their release.”– “Personal Justice Denied:

Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians”

Life In Manzanar

• “In desert camps, the evacuees met severe extremes of temperature. In winter it reached 35 degrees below zero, and summer brought temperatures as high as 115 degrees. Rattlesnakes and desert wildlife added danger to discomfort.”– “Personal Justice Denied:

Report of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians”

The Propaganda War

• Wartime propaganda during the second World War was escalated to perhaps the greatest height in history. As the Allies and Axis both prepared for war, it was necessary for both sides to motivate their population and increase production.