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25 The United States in World War II

CHAPTER OBJECTIVE

INTERACT WITH HISTORY

TIME LINE

SECTION 1 Mobilizing for Defense

MAP SECTION 2 The War for Europe and North Africa

SECTION 3 The War in the Pacific

GRAPH SECTION 4 The Home Front

VISUAL SUMMARY
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25 The United States in World War II

CHAPTER OBJECTIVE

To understand the military campaigns, political

decisions, and efforts on the home front that won
World War II
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25 The United States in World War II

INTERACT
WITH HISTORY

It is December of 1941. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor,

the U.S. has entered the war. As a citizen, you and millions like
you must mobilize a depressed peacetime country for war. The
United States must produce the workers, soldiers, weapons, and
equipment that will help to win the war.

How can the United States use its resources

to achieve victory?
Examine the Issues
• How can the government encourage businesses to convert to wartime
production?
• What sacrifices will you and your family be willing to make?
• How can the military attract recruits?

25 The United States in World War II
TIME LINE
The United States
1941 The Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. A. Philip
Randolph demands that war industries hire
African Americans.
1942 Roosevelt creates the War Production
Board to coordinate mobilization. Japanese
Americans are sent to relocation centers.
1943 Zoot-suit riots rock Los Angeles.
1944 GI Bill of Rights is passed. President
Roosevelt is elected to a fourth term.
1945 U.S. Marines take Iwo Jima. Harry S.
Truman becomes president when Roosevelt dies.
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The World
1941 Hitler invades the Soviet Union.
1942 In the Pacific, the Battle of Midway turns
the tide in favor of the Allies. Nazis develop the
"final solution" for exterminating Jews.
1943 Rommel’s forces surrender in North
Africa.
1944 On June 6, the Allies launch D-Day, a
massive invasion of Europe.
1945 Nazi retreat begins after the Battle of the
Bulge. Japan surrenders after atomic bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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1
Mobilizing for Defense
KEY IDEA
The United States enters the war and
mobilizes its citizens and resources to give its
allies unprecedented military and industrial
support.

OVERVIEW ASSESSMENT
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1
Mobilizing for Defense
OVERVIEW

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Following the attack on Pearl Military industries in the United

Harbor, the United States States today are a major part of
mobilized for war. the American economy.

TERMS & NAMES

• War Production Board (WPB) • rationing • Office of Price Administration

(OPA)
• Manhattan Project • George Marshall
• Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp
• A. Philip Randolph
(WAAC)
ASSESSMENT
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1
Mobilizing for Defense
ASSESSMENT

1. List four ways that America prepared for war.

Industries geared up Creation of WAAC

for wartime production.

Preparation for War,

1941-1942

Employment of women in Establishment of OPA

the war industry and WPB

continued . . .
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1
Mobilizing for Defense
ASSESSMENT

2. How did government regulations impact the lives of

civilians?

ANSWER

Rationing forced people to use resources wisely or do

without some goods. Gas rationing forced people to
carpool or walk to work. A “black market” developed that
illegally sold scarce goods.

End of Section 1
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2
The War for Europe and North Africa
KEY IDEA
The United States, Great Britain, and the
Soviet Union cooperate in the fight to
defeat Germany and its allies.

OVERVIEW ASSESSMENT
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2
The War for Europe and North Africa
OVERVIEW

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

Allied forces, led by the United During World War II, the
States and Great Britain, battled United States assumed a
Axis powers for control of leading role in world affairs
Europe and North Africa. that continues today.

TERMS & NAMES

• Omar Bradley • D-Day • Dwight D. Eisenhower

• George Patton • V-E Day • Battle of the Bulge
• Harry S. Truman

ASSESSMENT
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2
The War for Europe and North Africa
ASSESSMENT

1. List the major events influencing the fighting in Europe

and North Africa.
Event Two Event Four Event Six Event Eight
Jan. 31, 1943 May 1944 July 1944 May 8, 1945
Germans Battle of Anzio Russians Germany
surrender at ends. liberate first surrenders.
Stalingrad. death camp.

Event One Event Three Event Five Event Seven

Dec. 22, 1941 May 1943 June 6, 1944 January 1945
Churchill and Last of Afrika Allies invade Germany loses
Roosevelt meet Korps Normandy. Battle of the
at the White surrenders. Bulge.
House.
continued . . .
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2
The War for Europe and North Africa
ASSESSMENT

2. Do you agree with the decision made by Roosevelt and

Churchill to require unconditional surrender by the Axis
powers? Why or why not? Think About:
• the advantages of defeating a foe decisively
• the advantages of ending a war quickly
• how other conflicts, such as the Civil War and
World War I, ended
ANSWER

Agree: Hitler had to be crushed completely so that he

would not have the opportunity to rebuild his army.
Disagree: If something less than unconditional surrender
were required, the bloodshed would stop earlier and
fewer Allied soldiers would be killed. continued . . .
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2
The War for Europe and North Africa
ASSESSMENT

3. When President Roosevelt’s body was brought by train to

Washington, Betty Conrad was among the servicewomen
who escorted his casket.
“ The body in the casket was not only our leader but the
bodies of all the men and women who had given their lives
for freedom. They must not and will not have died in vain.”
What did Roosevelt’s body symbolize to Betty Conrad?

ANSWER

Roosevelt’s body symbolized the bodies of all the men

and women who had given their lives for freedom.
End of Section 2
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3
The War in the Pacific
KEY IDEA
America wages an aggressive military
campaign against Japan in the Pacific
Islands and finally ends the war.

OVERVIEW ASSESSMENT
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3
The War in the Pacific
OVERVIEW

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

In order to defeat Japan and end Countries of the modern world

the war in the Pacific, the United struggle to find ways to prevent
States unleashed a terrible new the use of nuclear weapons.
weapon, the atomic bomb.

TERMS & NAMES

• Chester Nimitz • Nagasaki • J. Robert Oppenheimer

• Battle of Midway • Hiroshima • Douglas MacArthur
• Nuremberg trials • kamikaze

ASSESSMENT
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The War in the Pacific
ASSESSMENT

1. List the key military actions in the Pacific during

World War II and note the significance of each.

Military Action Significance

Philippines Japanese victory destroyed the myth of white supremacy in Asia.
Doolittle’s raid American spirits lifted by the Tokyo bombing.
Midway Damaged Japanese air power
Leyte Gulf Reduced Japanese navy to minor role
Okinawa Allowed attack on Japan itself
Hiroshima America is first to use the atomic bomb.
Nagasaki Led to Japan’s surrender

continued . . .
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The War in the Pacific
ASSESSMENT

2. At the trials, many Nazis defended themselves by

saying they were only following orders. What does this
rationale tell you about the German military? Why was it
important to negate this justification?

ANSWER

Soldiers observed the German military tradition of

following orders issued by commanding officers. It is
important to negate this point of view to stress the
importance of individual responsibility.

continued . . .
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The War in the Pacific
ASSESSMENT

3. Explain how the United States was able to defeat the

Japanese in the Pacific.

ANSWER

The United States followed an island-by-island strategy of

winning territory back from Japan. With each victory,
Allied forces moved closer to Japan.

continued . . .
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3
The War in the Pacific
ASSESSMENT

4. Is it legitimate to hold people accountable for crimes

committed during wartime? Why or why not? Think About:
• the laws that govern society
• the likelihood of conducting a fair trial
• the behavior of soldiers, politicians, and civilians during war
ANSWER

POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
Legitimate—People should be prosecuted for committing
atrocities as much during war time as during peacetime.
Not Legitimate—In war, people are expected to kill the
enemy. Ordinary laws do not apply during wartime. End of Section 3
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4
The Home Front
KEY IDEA
Americans begin to adjust to new economic
opportunities and continuing social problems
after World War II.

OVERVIEW ASSESSMENT
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4
The Home Front
OVERVIEW

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

After World War II, Americans Economic opportunities afforded

adjusted to new economic by World War II led to a more
opportunities and harsh social diverse middle class in the United
tensions. States.

TERMS & NAMES

• GI Bill of Rights • internment • Japanese American Citizens

League (JACL)
• Congress of Racial • James Farmer
Equality (CORE)

ASSESSMENT
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The Home Front
ASSESSMENT

1. List the advances and problems in the economy and in

civil rights during World War II.

Advances Problems
Economy Low unemployment, rising Shortage of housing and
crop prices, opportunities for food, rationing
women
Civil Rights More equality in the military, Segregation, discrimination,
founding of CORE race riots in Detroit and Los
Angeles; internment of
Japanese Americans

continued . . .
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The Home Front
ASSESSMENT

2. How were the experiences of African Americans, Mexican

Americans, and Japanese Americans similar during World
War II? How were they different?

ANSWER

Similar: All three groups suffered from discrimination.

Different: Japanese Americans living on the West Coast
were forced into internment camps.

continued . . .
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4
The Home Front
ASSESSMENT

3. Do you think that the government’s policy of

evacuating Japanese Americans to camps was justified
on the basis of “military necessity”? Explain your
answer.
ANSWER

POSSIBLE RESPONSES:
Yes: The United States government had no way of telling
with certainty that Japanese citizens were loyal.
No: There was no proof that Japanese Americans were
disloyal to their country.
continued . . .
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4
The Home Front
ASSESSMENT

4. What effect did World War II have on American

families? Think About:
• the role of women in families and the economy
• the relationship between the races
• the impact of the federal government on society

ANSWER

The war changed traditional gender roles as women

enlisted in the armed forces and took jobs outside the
home. The war also reinforced the country’s long-
standing policy of discrimination against minorities.
End of Section 4