CH 34-37: World War II- Part III

Fireside Chats • President Roosevelt utilized available media to comfort the nation during a worrying time.

• During the Great Depression, Roosevelt broadcast 37 radio speeches between 1933 and 1944, known as the "fireside chats," which helped to keep the nation informed on a variety of topics.

• On Tuesday, December 9, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt gave a radio speech regarding the declaration of war on Japan and the U.S. entry into World War II.

Four Freedoms• During FDR’s 1941 State of the

Union Address he outlined the four freedoms all humans have– Freedom of Speech– Freedom of Religion– Freedom from Want– Freedom from Fear

• This speech would precede US involvement in the war

• However, it would be the basis for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights later issued by the United Nations after WWII.– (It is suggested this speech

foreshadowed US involvement in the UN)

Germany First• Even though the US would declare war on Japan first the US

would engage in a “Germany First” strategy• This would be a result of the close relationship between

Churchill & FDR– Both leaders felt Europe was the more important objective (Britain

being in Europe)– Resulted in less immediate attention being paid to Japan

– Could explain the skewed importance placed on defeating Hitler instead of Japan in History Books/Classes (Not necessary to know, but kind of cool)

Economic Impact

• World War II helped to solve the problems of the Great Depression (Cash & Carry, Lend Lease, and eventually US involvement)

• The US would start to ration supplies of gas, nylon, rubber, meat, butter, etc. before the war even started.

• Factories would switch over to war time production, and would largely be staffed by women.

• While men were drafted to fight in the war, women were the backbone of the industrial powerhouse that was the US. Without the contributions and efforts of women in factories, the “might” that was the US Military would have been VASTLY different.

Minorities during WWII

Tuskegee Airmen• The most famous of minority groups during

WWII were the Tuskegee Airmen.• Started as an “experimental” civilian flight

program• Despite being trained and prepared the Tuskegee

were kept out of action until efforts by numerous individuals (Eleanor Roosevelt) saw them sent overseas

• The Tuskegee were led by Benjamin O Davis, one of the few black graduates from West Point

• The unit became known as the Red Tails because of the planes distinctive markings, and were the preferred bomber escort team during air raids over Germany– The Airmen embody the idea of the Double V

Campaign: the fight against fascism abroad & against racism at home

• 442 Regimental Combat Team– This group was composed of almost all Japanese

American Soldiers.– Many volunteered to show their loyalty to the USA,

and the group was highly decorated for valor and bravery

• Navajo Code Talkers– In the Pacific Theater the Japanese had successfully

broken a number of US encryptions (they were mathematically based)

– The idea was suggested by a civilian to use Navajo, a Native Indian language that is nearly impossible to learn unless you were born into it

– A double code was formed, and the Navajo became an extremely valuable asset to the war effort (Iron Turtle Tank)

– The Code started at 200 but grew to 600 & Code Talkers to decipher a message in 20 seconds when a machine would take 30 minutes

– After the war the Japanese were amazed to learn the Navajo language was real, and had been operating under the assumption that the US was broadcasting white noise & secretly communicating another way.

Executive Order 8802• In 1941 FDR would issue

Executive Order 8802.• This order prohibited racial

discrimination in hiring related to war industries

• This effort was fought for by Civil Rights Activist A. Philip Randolph who made major strides in equality, & once threatened a march on Washington DC

Executive Order 9066- Japanese Internment• During WWII anti-foreign sentiment in the US ran high.• The internment of all foreign enemies (German, Italian, &Japanese)

all occurred, but the Japanese internment is the most notable• After the attack on Pearl Harbor & the resulting declaration of war,

FDR issued Executive Order 9066.• This gave the US military the right to establish military zones which

they deemed to be of vital importance to US safety, and remove “dangerous” residents of those areas– Military Zone the WEST COAST– Dangerous Inhabitance If you looked Japanese… or really shifty

• As a result of EO 9066 nearly 120,000 Japanese were forced to relocate to “War Relocation Camps” (better known as internment camps[NOT CONCENTRATION])

• Nearly 2/3s of all those moved were AMERICAN BORN (which means they are protected by the 14th Amendment)

• Internment was fought in the famous Supreme Court Case Korematsu v. United States– By a vote of 6-3, Japanese Internment

was upheld by the Supreme Court stating that in times of war civil liberties could be restricted.

• Justice Robert Jackson wrote the dissenting opinion for the Supreme Court. Among his comments was the following quote, “A military order, however unconstitutional, is not apt to last longer than the military emergency. ... But once a judicial opinion rationalizes such an order to show that it conforms to the Constitution, or rather rationalizes the Constitution to show that the Constitution sanctions such an order, the Court for all of time has validated the principle of racial discrimination. ... The principle then lies about like a loaded weapon ready for the hand of any authority that can bring forward a plausible claim of urgent need.”