WWII: Home FrontWWII: Home Front

Mr. MacomberMr. MacomberMercedes High School Mercedes High School

Mercedes TXMercedes TX

““Rosie”Rosie”

• As men went off to As men went off to war, married and war, married and single women went single women went into factory jobs in into factory jobs in large numbers.large numbers.

• ““Rosie the RiveterRosie the Riveter” a ” a character from a character from a popular song became popular song became a legenda legend

African AmericansAfrican Americans

• Factories still resisted the Factories still resisted the hiring of African Americans. hiring of African Americans. A. A. Philip RandolphPhilip Randolph, head of the , head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a major union for Porters, a major union for African American railroad African American railroad workers threatened to march workers threatened to march on Washington DC. on Washington DC.

• On June 25, 1941, the On June 25, 1941, the President Roosevelt President Roosevelt responded with Executive responded with Executive Order 8802 which Order 8802 which outlawed outlawed discriminationdiscrimination in the in in the in defense industries or defense industries or government jobsgovernment jobs

BracerosBraceros

• In 1942 the federal In 1942 the federal government started the government started the Bracero Program, which Bracero Program, which arranged for arranged for Mexican Mexican farmworkersfarmworkers to come to to come to the United States to help the United States to help harvest fruits and harvest fruits and vegetables on farms in vegetables on farms in the Southwestthe Southwest

• More than 200,000 More than 200,000 Mexicans came to help Mexicans came to help with the harvest and to with the harvest and to build and maintain build and maintain railroadsrailroads

SunbeltSunbelt

• Roughly 15 million Americans moved Roughly 15 million Americans moved west and southwest and south during the war to during the war to be closer to the new jobs availablebe closer to the new jobs available

• The growth of southern California and the expansion of cities in the Deep The growth of southern California and the expansion of cities in the Deep South created a new industrial region called the Sunbelt. South created a new industrial region called the Sunbelt.

Housing CrisisHousing Crisis

• The federal government The federal government allocated over $1.2 billion allocated over $1.2 billion to build public housing, to build public housing, schools, and community schools, and community centers during the war to centers during the war to accommodate all the new accommodate all the new workers.workers.

• Workers were housed in Workers were housed in trailers or pre-fabricated trailers or pre-fabricated buildingsbuildings in large in large numbers near new numbers near new defense plantsdefense plants

Racism Racism

• African Americans resumed African Americans resumed the Great Migration, as the Great Migration, as they left the South and they left the South and headed to cities in the headed to cities in the North and West for North and West for factory factory jobsjobs

• In these cities, African In these cities, African Americans were often Americans were often confronted with confronted with suspicion suspicion and intoleranceand intolerance, , sometimes ending with sometimes ending with violence.violence.

Liberty ShipsLiberty Ships

• Modular cargo ships Modular cargo ships called called Liberty ShipsLiberty Ships were built in record were built in record numbersnumbers

• Henry J. KaiserHenry J. Kaiser was was the shipbuilder who the shipbuilder who developed themdeveloped them

• One was built in a One was built in a weekweek

Zoot Suit RiotsZoot Suit Riots

• The The zoot suitzoot suit, baggy pants , baggy pants and an overstuffed, knee-and an overstuffed, knee-length jacket with wide lapels length jacket with wide lapels used a lot of cloth material, used a lot of cloth material, appeared unpatriotic to many appeared unpatriotic to many that were saving fabric for the that were saving fabric for the warwar

• The zoot suit was worn by The zoot suit was worn by many many Mexican American Mexican American teensteens

• When zoot suiters were When zoot suiters were rumored to have attacked rumored to have attacked several sailors, 2,500 soldiers several sailors, 2,500 soldiers and sailors stormed into and sailors stormed into Mexican American Mexican American neighborhoods in Los Angelesneighborhoods in Los Angeles

Japanese AmericansJapanese Americans

• Following Pearl Harbor, Following Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans Japanese Americans were forced into were forced into internment campsinternment camps by by Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 based mostly on based mostly on suspicion & racismsuspicion & racism

• In the case of In the case of Korematsu Korematsu v United Statesv United States, the , the Supreme Court said that Supreme Court said that because of the threat of because of the threat of invasion the relocation invasion the relocation was Constitutionalwas Constitutional

Price Control & RationingPrice Control & Rationing

• The government The government rationed goodsrationed goods in in order to provide more order to provide more food and supplies for food and supplies for the armythe army

• The government kept The government kept prices under control prices under control to to prevent inflationprevent inflation

Victory GardensVictory Gardens

• The Government The Government encouraged encouraged Americans to plant Americans to plant Victory GardensVictory Gardens

• The food they The food they produced would produced would enable Americans to enable Americans to divert more food to divert more food to the war effortthe war effort

War BondsWar Bonds

• To raise money for the war, To raise money for the war, the government raised taxes, the government raised taxes, covering about 45 percent of covering about 45 percent of the cost of the war. the cost of the war.

• E bonds E bonds were sold to were sold to Americans to help pay for the Americans to help pay for the war. war.

• Through the purchase of these Through the purchase of these bonds, Americans were bonds, Americans were loaning money to the loaning money to the government.government.

• The bonds could be redeemed The bonds could be redeemed in the future for the purchase in the future for the purchase price plus interestprice plus interest

Use the diagram and your knowledge of social studies to answer the following question.

What was responsible for the economic conditions shown in the diagram?A Cold WarB New DealC World War IID Great Society