Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Patriotism After the United States entered the war, the nation moved to full-scale wartime production and mobilization of the armed forces. Americans rallied behind the war effort. With the exception of the attack on Pearl Harbor and battles on several Pacific islands, World War II was not fought on American soil. Nonetheless, Americans were constantly preparing for attack, America's coastal areas and large cities held blackout drills.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Patriotism Americans were encouraged to support the war effort by rationing food, gasoline. and other necessities and luxuries. Government campaigns encouraged Americans to have "meatless Tuesdays," and many Americans planted "victory gardens" of their own to increase the food supply. Hollywood entertainers made special presentations to encourage citizens to buy war bonds to help the government finance the war.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Women World War II brought dramatic changes to the lives of American women in the military and in the civilian workforce. By the end of the war, more than 200,000 women had joined the military services. Although women served in separate units from men, such as the Women's Army Corps (WAC), women performed a variety of vital military duties. They operated radios and repaired planes and vehicles. They also were assigned, along with men, to clerical duties.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Women As millions of men joined the military, new employment opportunities opened up to women. Women who had been employed before the war eagerly applied for better-paying jobs, and many women who had worked inside the home now entered the paid workforce. Many women took jobs that had once been open to men only. More than five million women eventually worked in factories devoted to wartime production, although their pay never came close to equaling men's pay of the time.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Women One song about a woman named Rosie the Riveter became popular during the war years because it captured the sense of duty and patriotism felt by millions of women. The term "Rosie the Riveter" became a slang term for all women who worked in wartime factories.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril

Geraldine Doyle

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Women Women's wartime work resulted in important changes in employment and lifestyle, even after the war. Before the war, most employed American women were young and unmarried. During the war, large numbers of married women and mothers who had never worked outside the home before took jobs. This trend continued after the war.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Women Although many women willingly returned to their homes and the roles of wife and mother at the end of the war, thousands more enjoyed the challenge of paid employment, as well as an improved standard of living. The entry of so many women into the paid workforce during World War II marked the beginning of a long-term trend, as women continued to enter the workforce in greater numbers throughout the rest of the century. New issues became important.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril American Women For example, child care became an important issue during the war years, and it remains an important one today.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril African Americans The experiences of African Americans during the war years provided-the foundation of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Nearly one million African American men and women served in the military during World War II. Military units were segregated, and initially, African American soldiers were limited to support roles. As the war went on, these soldiers soon saw combat, where many distinguished themselves.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril African Americans In the 1940s, many southern African Americans began moving to northern cities in search of economic opportunity and freedom from discrimination. However, they met discrimination in the North as well, as white workers and homeowners feared the movement of African Americans into their workplaces and neighborhoods.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril African Americans Race riots broke out in Detroit and New York City in the summer of Membership in civil rights organizations began to grow as African Americans struggled against discrimination. African Americans experienced gains during the war years. Politically, their migration north had made them a significant voting bloc in urban areas. Economically, new jobs in war industries brought many African Americans the chance to earn more than they ever had before.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril African Americans Although these gains were made, African Americans were still experiencing widespread discrimination and inequalities in salaries in the workplace. The black press urged that the struggle for freedom be fought on two fronts—overseas and at home as well.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Japanese Americans Thousands of Japanese Americans faced hardship and economic losses after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Immigrants from Japan began arriving in the United States shortly after the Civil War. These immigrant, settled mainly on the west coast of the United States. By 1941, thousands of Americans of Japanese descent, called Nisei, had been born in the United States and were American citizens.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Japanese Americans Thousands of them had never been to Japan, and many had no desire to go there. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, many Americans feared that Japanese Americans presented a threat to national security. Anti-Japanese sentiment grew, and in 1942 President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, establishing military zones for the imprisonment of Japanese Americans.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Japanese Americans More than 100,000 people of Japanese descent were forced to leave their homes and move to WRA (Worker Relocation Authority) camps, hastily constructed military-style barracks ringed with barbed wire and guarded by troops. This discrimination was focused entirely on Japanese Americans; no such action was taken against citizens or residents of German or Italian descent.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Japanese Americans In the 1944 landmark case Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court-upheld the forced evacuation as a reasonable wartime emergency measure. However, no acts of Japanese-American sabotage or treason were ever identified, and thousands of Nisei fought honorably in the war. Almost 50 year after World War II, the United States government admitted that the wartime relocation program had been unjust.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Japanese Americans In 1988, Congress voted to pay $20,000 to each of the approximately 60,000 surviving Americans who had been interned. The first payments were made in 1990, and the government also issued a formal apology. Despite the injustices endured by Japanese Americans, thousands proved their loyalty by serving in the U.S. armed forces, primarily in Europe. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up entirely of Japanese Americans, won more medals for bravery than any other unit of its size in the war.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization During the war, American factories, geared up for wartime production, had helped the nation recover from the Great Depression. Now the challenge was to convert from a wartime to a peacetime society. The United States underwent a period of demobilization, or the movement from a military to a civilian status. The United States armed forces reduced from 12 million members to 1.5 million.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Factories that had made planes and tanks now began producing consumer goods. It also meant ensuring that the nation would not slip back into depression. During President Truman's administration, legislation was passed to deal with different issues raised by demobilization.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization The Servicemen's Readjustment Act also known as the GI Bill of Rights, this act authorized billions of dollars to pay for veterans' benefits, such as college education, medical treatment, unemployment insurance, and home and business loans. The GI Bill made it possible for more people to attend college and buy homes than ever before.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Employment Act of 1946 was an act that made full employment a national goal and set up a Council of Economic Advisors to guide the President on economic matters. Wartime legislation had put controls on the prices of most goods. In 1946, the government moved to end most such controls. However, the end of controls coupled with a tax cut caused a rapid increase in inflation. For example, food prices soared 25 percent in just two years.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Workers' wages could not keep up with inflation after the war. Major strikes were held as unions pushed for higher wages. Anti-union feelings grew and led Congress to pass the Taft-Hartley Act over Truman's veto. The act provided an 80-day "cooling-off" period through which the President could delay a strike that threatened national welfare.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Barred the closed shop, under which workers had to belong to a union before being hired Allowed states to pass "right-to-work laws," which said workers could take jobs and not have to join a union Banned union contributions to political campaigns Required union leaders to swear they were not communists

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Truman also moved to help the nation meet postwar international concerns. The National Security Act of 1947 created the National Military Establishment, which later became the Department of Defense. The act also created the Central Intelligence Agency to oversee intelligence gathering activities. As commander in chief, Truman also issued an executive order banning discrimination in the armed forces.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization In addition to problems caused by converting to a peacetime economy, the nation also had to cope with the largest population explosion in its history. The economic hardships of the Great Depression that had encouraged smaller families were gone. Families grew larger once more. This "baby boom" brought with it the expansion of many public services, especially schools.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Many voters had become dissatisfied with Truman's presidency because of inflation, strikes, Truman's actions on civil rights, and the developing cold war. Polls predicted that the Republican candidate. Governor Thomas Dewey of New York, would defeat Truman easily in the 1948 presidential election.

Mr. RizzoUS: Peace in Peril Demobilization Yet Truman pulled off one of the greatest upsets in American political history by winning reelection. He then attempted to build on this victory by proposing a program called the Fair Deal that aimed to extend reforms started under FDR' New Deal.