Reading – Mobilizing for War

Building an Army

The U.S. government had to recruit millions of soldiers for World War II. In 1940 Congress passed the
Selective Training and Service Act, which started the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. At first, only
men between the ages of 21 and 35 had to register. Later, men aged 18 to 45 were included. People with jobs
that were an important part of the war effort were excused from the draft. Local draft boards also granted
deferments, or postponements of service, for medical or religious reasons.
Some 15 million Americans served in the military. One million African Americans and some 300,000
Mexican Americans formed part of this group. African American troops faced discrimination in the armed
forces and generally served in segregated units. As the war went on, however, they were given more
opportunities to serve in infantry, tank, and air force units.

The Wartime Economy

The United States was still suffering from the Great Depression when World War II began. However, the
economy began to recover as the country mobilized for war. Production boomed as American factories turned
out large numbers of guns, jeeps, tanks, and ammunition for the Allies.
Incomes rose, and unemployment nearly vanished. Many Americans, including some rural residents,
moved to the North and Midwest to take high-paying factory jobs. Others took shipyard jobs along the West
Coast. Even so, agricultural production remained high. U.S. farmers managed to feed European allies as well
as Americans.
To prepare the nation for war, the government began to increase its control over the economy. The War
Production Board (WPB) supervised the conversion of factories to wartime production. For example, the
WPB banned the production of cars in 1942 so that automotive plants could focus on making military vehicles
and equipment. The Office of War Mobilization (OWM) later replaced the WPB.
To collect necessary supplies such as rubber and metal, the government organized scrap drives. The
government also began rationing, or controlling the amounts of goods available for use. People needed special
ration coupons to buy goods such as coffee, gasoline, meat, and shoes. Larger families received more coupons
than smaller ones. Rationing was unpopular but did help save key supplies for the war.
Officials knew that Americans had to endure hardships, shortages, and worse—the loss of loved ones. As a
result, the government worked hard to keep morale high. The Office of War Information (OWI) kept the public
and the press aware of government policies. However, the government limited military reports, such as
information about troop movements and casualties. The government also warned Americans about possible
German and Japanese spies in the United States. Slogans like "A slip of the lip may sink a ship" became
common.
To pay for the war effort, the government drastically increased taxes. For the first time, middle- and
lower-income Americans had to pay income taxes. These tax increases only paid 40 percent of the war
expenses, however. The government borrowed the difference, mostly by selling war bonds to the public.
Movie stars, such as Betty Grable and Loretta Young, encouraged people to buy bonds. Americans bought
billions of dollars' worth of bonds to support the war effort.
Women and the War Effort

When the United States entered the war, there were many new jobs and not enough workers. The
government urged women to fill these new positions. As men left for war, women replaced them in factories
and business offices. One female worker recalled her job at Rohr Aircraft.
Although they did the same work as men, women often faced discrimination and received less pay.
Some 300,000 women worked in the armed forces. They served in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps
(WAAC) and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). Women's military jobs ranged from helping run
military communications systems to flying planes from factories to military units. Army and navy nurses
served in combat areas.

Opportunities and Obstacles

The mobilization for war brought new opportunities to minorities. However, as they entered new jobs these
groups still sometimes faced unfair treatment. Many African Americans migrated from the South to cities in
the North to join the industrial labor force. Once there, they often received less pay than white workers in
similar jobs.
To protest this kind of treatment, African American labor leader A. Philip Randolph planned a march on
Washington, D.C. When President Roosevelt issued an executive order forbidding racial discrimination in
defense industries, Randolph agreed to cancel the march. The order created the Fair Employment Practices
Committee (FEPC) to prevent discrimination in war industries and government jobs. African Americans
gained new opportunities in some defense companies, earning better pay than before.
Many Mexican Americans moved to the West Coast and the Midwest to take advantage of wartime job
opportunities. To meet a labor shortage in the Southwest, the federal government allowed Mexican workers
called braceros to enter the United States beginning in 1942. Some 200,000 braceros became a key part of
the agricultural economy in the West and the Southwest.
Although they supported the war effort, Mexican Americans still faced discrimination. For example, many
young Mexican American men of the time wore zoot suits—outfits with oversized jackets, wide-brimmed hats,
and baggy pants that fit tightly at the ankles. In June 1943, groups of sailors in Los Angeles attacked Mexican
Americans wearing zoot suits. For several days, mobs roamed the city assaulting Mexican Americans in the
so-called zoot-suit riots. Riots against Mexican Americans broke out in seven other cities as well.

Japanese American Internment

Americans' anger over the Pearl Harbor attack led to widespread discrimination against Japanese
Americans. In 1941, more than 125,000 people of Japanese descent lived in the United States, mostly on the
West Coast. Some of these immigrants were Issei, or born in Japan. More of them were Nisei, or full citizens
who had been born in the United States.
After Pearl Harbor, many Americans questioned the loyalty of Issei and Nisei. Fearing the possibility of
spying or sabotage, the U.S. government began a process of internment in 1942. Under this system, the
government forcibly relocated and imprisoned Japanese Americans. Most Japanese Americans were moved to
remote camps and kept under guard. Most of the camps were located in the western United States. One
Japanese American woman recalled her experience.