7.2 Summarize the impact of war mobilization on the home front, including consumer sacrifices, the role of women and minorities in the workforce, and limits on individual rights that resulted in the internment of Japanese Americans.

The fighting of WWII required the total mobilization of the american economy, government, and Society on the homefront At the urging of FDR… Private industries converted from peacetime to wartime production even before Pearl Harbor was attacked to supply the Allies with weapons

Citizen Sacrifices and Paying for the War ***The number of people in the U.S. required to pay income tax increased. To ensure payment the idea of the withholding income tax was developed. (taken out of everyone’s check upfront) ***War Bond Drives- citizens loaned money by purchasing bonds, the drives became popular as ads, posters and movie stars encouraged their purchase. ***Victory Gardens- people were encouraged to grow their own food so that more food could be sent to feed the soldiers. ***Rationing- controlling how much of a product one person could buy. A point system was assigned and once a person was out of points they could purchase no more of that product. Examples, tires, sugar, meat.

Women and Minorities in Uniform ***Over 275,000 women served with honor. WAC- Women’s Army Corp served in just about every role except combat. ***Minorities- played a crucial role in the war effort. Nearly 1 million African-Americans volunteered or were drafted to serve in segregated units. Originally these soldiers did not see combat, but as shortages and attitudes changed they began to take casualties. ***Tuskegee Airmen- a fighter pilot group that successfully escorted every bomber they protected during the war. ***“Codetalker”- Navajo Indians who served as radio operators during the war against Japan. The code was never broken.

African-Americans at Home A leader of the African American labor union, A. Philip Randolph, threatened to march on Washington, DC. FDR responded by issuing an executive order requiring non-discrimination in defense work and defense contracts. With African-Americans playing an important part in the war economy and at home many began advocating the double-V- Victory over seas and a victory for civil rights at home.

The Japanese Internment ***The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor fueled suspicion and fear of Japanese people in the United States. ***On February 19, 1942 President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which ordered all Japanese away from military facilities. Under the authority of this order more than 100,000 Japanese citizens were forced from homes and businesses and placed in interment camps. Many lost all. ***Korematsu v. United States- Fred Korematsu sued on the grounds that Order 9066 violated his civil rights. The Supreme Court ruled that because of the military urgency of the situation the order was justified. In 1983 the U.S. government formally recognized the injustice and authorized payments of $20,000 to each surviving Japanese-American.