US Mobilizing for War
A. Industry Gears Up for War
1. War Time Production
– Industries adapted to meet war time demands
– Factories made tanks, jeeps, guns, and ammunition
2. War Production Board (WPB)
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Agency created to regulate the economy
Oversaw the conversion of factories to war production
1942: WPB banned the production of automobiles
Factories would now produce military equipment
3. General Motors
– Converted 100% of its
production to the war effort
– Made airplanes, trucks, tanks,
guns, and shells
– Made $12.3 billion worth of war
material
B. Troops
1. Selective Training and Service Act
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1st peacetime draft in US history
Required all men ages 21-35 to register
Later changed to 18-38
Deferments granted for medical and religious reasons
2. The Numbers
– 16 million Americans
served in the military
– 1 million were African
Americans
– 300,000 were Mexican
Americans
C. Support and Sacrifice
1. Taxes
– Taxes were greatly increased to pay for war
– 1st time Middle and Low income families had to pay income tax
– Taxes only paid for 40% of the war
2. War Bonds
– Government sold bonds to pay for the rest of the war
– Americans bought bonds at one price then could later turn them
in and get paid a larger amount
3. Rationing
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Americans were asked to ration food, clothing, gas, and other things to
support the war effort
Rationing introduced in 1942 due to shortages of sugar and coffee
1943: "point-rationing" was started for meats, canned fish, edible fats,
cheese, and canned milk.
– Clothing and material were also rationed
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No French cuffs or sleeves.
No pockets of wool.
No interlinings containing any virgin or reprocessed wool.
No cuffs on coats.
No belts wider than 2 inches.
No hoods or scarves for blouses.
For men and boys, "no second pair of trousers of matching material, no
outside patch pockets of wool."
D. Opportunities and Obstacles
1. Women
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Many new jobs opened up when the US entered the war
Women were encouraged to take these jobs
Women replaced men in factories and business offices
2. African Americans
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Many African Americans moved North to work in factories
Received less pay than whites in the same job
Protested and marched on Washington DC
The Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) created to stop
discrimination in war industries and government jobs
3. Mexicans
– During the war there were labor shortages in the Southwest
– US government authorized Mexican workers (braceros) to enter
the country
– 200, 000 braceros worked in the agricultural industry in the
Southwest