Mr. Judd
Name__________________
CH. 14 America and World War II Study Guide
It was the bloodiest, deadliest war the world had ever seen. More than 38 million
people died, many of them innocent civilians. It also was the most destructive war in
history. Fighting raged in many parts of the world. More than 50 nations took part in the
war, which changed the world forever.
For Americans, World War II had a clear-cut purpose. People knew why they were
fighting: to defeat tyranny. Most of Europe had been conquered by Nazi Germany,
which was under the iron grip of dictator Adolf Hitler. The war in Europe began with
Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939. Wherever the Nazis went, they waged a
campaign of terror, mainly against Jews, but also against other minorities.
In Asia and the Pacific, Japanese armies invaded country after country, island after
island. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The
next day, the U.S. Congress declared war, taking the U.S. into World War II.
Pre-Test: World War II – The World at War
T F 1 Americans from many races and ethnicities served in the armed forces during
World War II.
T F 2 The United States developed the atomic bomb in secret.
T F 3 After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese-Americans in the U.S. were
involuntarily sent to relocation camps.
T F 4 Rationing of raw materials and food affected only European citizens.
T F 5 The United States’ general strategy was to defeat Japan first, and then fight the
war in Europe.
T F 6 The day Allied troops crossed the Rhine river and entered Germany is commonly
Referred to as “D-Day.”
T F 7 President Roosevelt ordered the military to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.
T F 8 The United Nations was conceived during the closing months of the war as a world
peacekeeping authority to replace the League of Nations.
TF9
After the war, Nazi war criminals were put on trial for their crimes.
T F 10 The United States’ emerged as the strongest military and economic power after
World War II.
Vocabulary: Clues are listed below. Print the word that matches the clue on the blank line by the clue.
1.________________ A nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission
2.________________ Cultural icon representing the women who worked in factories during World War II
3. _______________Became 33rd President of the United States on Roosevelt's death in 1945 and was elected
President in 1948; authorized the use of atomic bombs against Japan
4. ________________The date the Allies celebrated victory in Europe. May 8, 1945
5. ________________Japan surrendered to the Allies, August 14, 1945; formal surrender took place
September 2, 1945, ending the war.
6. ________________The alliance of Italy, Germany and Japan
7. ________________Code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs
for use in World War II
8. ________________German word meaning "lightning war"
9. ________________Communist dictator of Soviet Union
10. _______________The first day of the Allied invasion of Normandy
11.________________ United States physicist who directed the project at Los Alamos that developed the first
atomic bomb
12. _______________United States general who supervised the invasion of Normandy and the defeat of
Nazi Germany; 34th President of the United States
13. _______________Italian fascist dictator
14. ________________A German member of Adolf Hitler's political party
15. ________________Japanese prime minister and mastermind of Japanese military
16. ________________A ruler who is unconstrained by law
17. ________________The alliance of Britain, France and Russia
18. ________________German Nazi dictator during World War II
19. ________________Nickname for the American plane that dropped the Atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
Japan
20. ________________ A war in which Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States, China,
and other allies defeated Germany, Italy, and Japan. (1939-1945)
Atomic Bomb
V-E Day
D-Day
Benito Mussolini
V-J Day
Allies
Harry S. Truman
Dictator
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Manhattan Project
Joseph Stalin
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Axis
Rosie the Riveter
Enola Gay
Biltzkrieg
Adolf Hitler
Hideki Tojo
Nazi
World War II Mobilization
Turn to listed pages in the text book to fill in the rest of the graphic organizer.

War Production Board (WPB) coordinates the production of
military supplies by U.S. industries

Industry
and
Labor
Pgs. 486-89


Rationing- families received a fixed amount of a certain item

Conservation
of
Supplies
Pgs. 506-07


The government raised taxes


Money
Pg. 507

Celebrities help raise funds (war bonds)

Public
Opinion/Social
Control

Pg. 504 & 06


Building an Army
Pg. 490-93

In 1940, Congress approved plans for the first peacetime draft
in American History called the Selective Service and Training Act
World War II Propaganda
Guns were the principal weapon of World War II , but there were
other more subtle weapons that the U.S. government used. This
included propaganda messages in posters, radio, and film.
Propaganda is a message put out by a government or organization
to promote a policy, idea, or cause. During World War II , the U.S.
government wanted the public to wholeheartedly
support the war efforts. They also wanted to maintain a good public
morale and a public commitment for the war. Persuading the
American public became a wartime industry. The government
launched an aggressive propaganda campaign to galvanize public
support for the war or to encourage particular actions. The basic
message was simpl e—we’re on the side of good, the enemy is the
side of evil. These images and messages were designed to tug at
human emotions. These types of messages included:
• Warnings of what could happen if America lost the war. Many
of these messages were intended to scare people. They tried to motivate through fear to make sure
Americans felt strongly about what the country was fighting for.
• Pleas for buying war bonds to help fund the war effort. Fighting this war was expensive. The
usual source of funding for the government was taxes. Rather than raise taxes, the government opted
to sell war bonds. This provided extra funds to help pay for the war costs.
• Encourage Americans to accept social change. Many Americans who didn’t join the armed
forces were asked to join the industrial force. African Americans and women were able to obtain
industry jobs that had not been available to them before the war. This was contrary to some social
and racial beliefs. Posters and other propaganda devices stressed the importance of war production
and acceptance of new people in the community and in local jobs.
• Pushing for more effort—The U.S. government wanted to encourage more factory production and
more community-led scrap drives. At the beginning of the war, the U.S. was unprepared; it did not
have enough industries producing war items. This changed as industries that produced consumer
goods like cars and radios were retooled to start producing items needed for war such as ships,
airplanes, tanks, and guns. The government installed price and wage controls, and rationed
consumer goods like coffee, meat, sugar, and other items.
• Encouraging sacrifice. The government promoted the idea that everyone must sacrifice for the war
effort. Obviously people who had a loved one serving overseas or had a son, father or husband die
sacrificed more than others. But the government encouraged women to go without nylon or silk
stockings so the materials could be used in parachute cords. Families were told to have meatless
meals and to cut back on using sugar. People were also encouraged to leave their cars at home to
save gas, and to grow their own vegetable gardens so farmers could supply the troops—all in the
name of sacrifice.
1
4
7
2
3
5
8
6
Analyzing a World War II Poster Worksheet
Choose one of the World War II posters from the previous page and answer the following questions.
1. What is the written message on the poster?
2. Describe the image used on the poster.
3. What is the purpose of the poster?
4. Who was the audience for the poster?
5. What is the emotion the poster conveys?
6. Is there an underlying or deeper message in the poster that is not stated? If so, what is it?
7. What emotions does this poster raise?
8. Rate your poster on how well you think it does the job it was intended to do. Use these ratings:
_____ a. One—not very good. Unclear why the poster was designed or what the message is
_____ b. Two—only fair. Message or image is not very clear
_____ c. Three—average. Message and image understandable.
_____ d. Four—better than average. Clever design and/or use of message
_____ e. Five—excellent. Poster has emotional appeal and a great impact
Design a World War II Propaganda Poster
In the box below, design a World War II poster with this message: “I gave a man! Will you give at
least 10% of your pay in War Bonds?”
The Rights of People of Suspect Ethnic Backgrounds
Korematsu v. United States, 1944
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Background of the Case ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 by Japanese planes, anti-Japanese sentiment on the
West Coast rose to almost hysterical proportions. All people of Japanese ancestry, even citizens of the United
States, were suspected of being pro-Japan, or worse— saboteurs and spies for Japan. Yielding to such
sentiments, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order that authorized the military to evacuate
and relocate “all or any persons” in order to provide “protection against espionage and against sabotage to
national defense. . . .”The military first set curfews on the West Coast for persons of Japanese ancestry. Later
the military removed all persons of Japanese ancestry to war relocation centers. The order affected
approximately 112,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, of whom about 70,000 were native-born American
citizens. An act of Congress later reinforced the president’s order by providing penalties for violations.
Korematsu, a Japanese American citizen, refused to leave his home in California for a relocation camp. He
was convicted in a federal court. His appeal to a United States circuit court failed, and he then brought the case
before the United States Supreme Court.
C
onstitutional Issue ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Since the president is commander in chief of the armed forces and Congress is given the power to declare
war, was the executive order and its Congressional counterpart a constitutional exercise of the war power?
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
The Supreme Court’s Decision ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
The Court decided against Korematsu by a vote of 6 to 3. Justice Hugo Black wrote for the Court.
In 1943 the Court had upheld the government’s position in a similar case, Hirabayashi v. United States. That
case concerned the legality of the West Coast curfew order. In Hirabayashi, as well as in Korematsu, the
Court’s language pointed toward the necessity of giving the military the benefit of the doubt on the grounds of
wartime necessity.
In the earlier case, the Court had held that “we cannot reject as unfounded the judgment of the military
authorities and of Congress. . . .”Likewise, in the Korematsu case, the Court declared, “We are unable to
conclude that it was beyond the war power of Congress and the Executive to exclude those of Japanese ancestry
from the West Coast area at the time they did.”
Justice Black cited evidence that, following internment, “approximately five thousand citizens of Japanese
ancestry refused to swear unqualified allegiance to the United States and to renounce allegiance to the Japanese
Emperor, and several thousand evacuees requested repatriation to Japan.” Although the Court admitted
awareness of the hardships internment imposed on American citizens, it stated “hardships are part of war. . . .
Citizenship has its responsibilities as well as its privileges, and in time of war the burden is always heavier.”
The question of racial prejudice “merely confuses the issue,” said the Court. The true issues are related to
determining “military dangers” and “military urgency.” These issues demanded that citizens of Japanese
ancestry be relocated by the military authorities. Black observed, “Congress, reposing its confidence in this time
of war in our military leaders. . . , determined that they should have the power to do just this. . . . The need for
action was great, and the time was short. We cannot—by availing ourselves of the calm perspective of
hindsight—now say that at that time these actions were unjustified.”
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Dissenting Opinions ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Justices Frank Murphy and Robert H. Jackson wrote separate dissents.Murphy called the Court’s decision
“legalization of racism.” He objected particularly on the grounds that the Japanese Americans affected had been
deprived of equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. Further, Murphy wrote, as no
provision had been made for hearings “this order also deprives them of all their constitutional rights to
procedural due process.” He saw no reason why the United States could not have done as Great Britain had
done earlier in hearings during which about 74,000 German and Austrians residing in Britain were examined.
Of these, only 2,000 had been interned.
In his dissent, Justice Jackson conceded that there might have been reasonable grounds for the internment
orders. But, he wrote, “Even if they were permissible military procedures, I deny that it follows that they are
constitutional. . . .A military commander may overstep the bounds of constitutionality, and it is an incident. But
if we review and approve, that passing incident becomes the doctrine of the Constitution.”
After the war, many people realized the injustice of the Court’s decision. Finally, in 1988, Congress issued a
formal apology to all internees and voted to give every survivor of the camps $20,000 in reparation.
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions.
1. On what constitutional basis did the Supreme Court deny Korematsu’s appeal?
2. If you had been a native-born Japanese American in 1942, what do you think would have been your
reaction to the internment order?
3. Justice Black became known as one of the staunchest defenders of the rights provided in the first ten
amendments. Is his decision in the Korematsu case in keeping with his reputation?
4. What was the constitutional basis of Justice Murphy’s dissent?
5. The Court’s decision in the Korematsu case has been described as involving “the most alarming use of
military authority in our nation’s history.” Do you think this description of the case is justified?
6. What is more important to you- the government protecting your civil rights or the government protecting
our national security? Explain.
Strangers in a Strange Land
Sixty years ago, a generation of young Americans left their homes to fight a world war. That war was waged in
two distant and very different places. In Europe, Americans faced hardship and danger. But they did so amid
people and places that—while foreign—had important connections with their lives back in America. Terrain,
weather, place names and, sometimes, ethnic ties were familiar links that provided some measure of comfort
against the hardships of war.
Americans who fought the Japanese in the Pacific fought a very different kind of war. Whether in the jungles of
New Guinea or on tiny atolls in the central Pacific, they confronted environments and cultures with fewer
reference points. Their war involved vast distances, isolation and harsh, unfamiliar surroundings that placed
special burdens on them.
Over two million young Americans went to war in the Pacific. They served in places as remote and far-flung as
the Philippines, the Solomon Islands and Okinawa. Many struggled and died in places their families had never
heard of. They waged a bloody war against a determined enemy.
Consider this: when the Japanese attacked the US Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941, most Americans had
never heard of Pearl Harbor and did not even know where it was.
Directions: Use the map on Pg. 513 in your textbook to identify the location of the following places on
your map.
Part I
1. Japan
3. China
5. Pearl Harbor
7. Midway Island
9. Marshall Islands
11. Guam
13. Philippines
15. Hong Kong
17. Iwo Jima
19. Hiroshima
2. Tokyo
4. Manchuria
6. Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands)
8. Gilbert Islands
10. Mariana Islands
12. New Guinea
14. Singapore
16. Aleutian Islands
18. Okinawa
20. Nagasaki
Part II
Create a legend (key) on your map and identify the following:
 Japanese Empire and conquests
 Farthest extent of Japan’s conquests, July 1942
 Allied Forces
 Major Battles
 Atomic Bombing
POINT-COUTNERPOINT: DIFFERENT VIEWS ABOUT THE USE THE ATOMBIC
BOMB
“The only way to end the war against Japan was to bomb
the Japanese mainland.”
Point
Many advisors to President Truman, including Secretary of
War Henry Stimson, had this point of view. They felt the
bomb would end the war and save American lives. Stimson
said, “The
face
of warmore
is the
of death.”
Some scientists working on the bomb
agreed
– even
soface
as the
casualty figures from
Iwo Jima and Okinawa sank in. “Are we to go on shedding American blood when we have
available a means to a steady victory?” they petitioned. “No! If we can save even a handful
of American lives, then let us use this weapon – now!”
Two other concerns pushed Americans to use the bomb. Some people feared that if the
bomb were not dropped, the project might be viewed as a gigantic waste of money.
The second consideration involved the Soviet Union. Tension and distrust were already
developing between the Western Allies and the Soviets. Some American officials believed
that a successful use of the atomic bomb would give the United States a powerful
advantage over the Soviets in shaping the postwar world.
“Japan’s staggering losses were enough to force
Japan’s surrender.”
Counterpoint
Many of the scientists who had worked on the bomb, as
well as military leaders and civilian policymakers, had
doubts about using it. Dr. Leo Szilard, a Hungarian-born
physicist who had helped President Roosevelt launch
the project and who had a major role in developing the
born, was a key figure opposing its use.
A petition drawn up by Szilard and signed by 70 other scientists argued that it would be
immoral to drop an atomic bomb on Japan without fair warning. Many supported
staging a demonstration of the bomb for Japanese leaders, perhaps by exploding one
on a deserted island near Japan, to convince the Japanese to surrender.
Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower agreed. He maintained
that “dropping the bomb was completely unnecessary” to save American lives and that
Japan was already defeated. Ike told Secretary of War Henry Stimson, “I was against it
[the bomb] on two counts. First the Japanese were ready to surrender and it wasn’t
necessary to hit them with that awful thing. Second, I hated to see our country be first
to use such a weapon.”
Questions for Discussions
1. What were the main arguments for and against dropping the atomic bomb on
Japan?
2. How did the battles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa influence the decision to use the
bomb against Japan?
3. What reasons did opponents of using the bomb offer to Secretary Stimson?
4. Do you think the United States was justified in using the bomb against the
Japanese? Explain your answer.
WORLD WAR II
THEATERS OF OPERATION
Mr. Judd
WWII was truly a global conflict with battles and strategy literally taking place
around the world. The allies identified two distinct areas: The Pacific Theater of
Operations (PTO) and the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Separate the following list of
subjects under either the ETO or PTO and provide a brief description of the subject.
Example:
Pearl Harbor – PTO- On Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S. naval base at Hawaii was attacked by Japan killing
2403 and bringing the U.S. into World War II.
1. Douglas MacArthur
3. Manhattan Project
2. Dwight Eisenhower
4. Navajo Code Talkers
5. Audie Murphy
7. Operation Overlord
6. Iwo Jima
8. Stalingrad
9. Island Hopping
11. Auschwitz
10. Battle of Britain
12. Doolittle’s Raid
13. Battle of the Bulge
15. “I Shall Return”
14. Kamikazes
16. “Never have so many owed so
much to so few”
17. Tuskegee Airmen
19. Okinawa
18. Bataan Death March
20. George Patton
Bonus Quote: “Nuts”
1. Sub Spotted
a. Written message: “‘Sub Spotted—Let ‘em have it!’ Lend a Hand—Enlist in your Navy today”
b. Image: Sailor guiding a canister (depth charge) labeled “TNT ” while other sailors lower it down on a shaft. The flash in
the background is a depth charge with shaft attached that has just been launched.
c. Purpose: To persuade men to enlist in the U.S. Navy
d. Audience: Young men from 18 to early 30s
e. Emotion: Pride
f. Underlying message: These young men look strong and brave, so if you enlist, you will become strong and brave too.
2. Careless Word
a. Written message: “A careless word…A Needless Sinking”
b. Image: Men in a row boat at sea. Some look to be injured with torn clothes. In the background a burning ship is sinking.
c. Purpose: To keep people from talking about war secrets. Germany had spies working in the U.S. For example, if a spy
overheard someone talking about their son’s ship leaving Norfolk, VA, on a certain day, the spy could notify the Germans
who could have a submarine waiting outside the harbor to try and sink the ship.
d. Audience: People in the U.S.
e. Emotion: Fear
f. Underlying message: Uses fear to reinforce written message. The sinking ship looks frightening.
3. You buy ‘em, we’ll fly ‘em
a. Written message: “‘You buy ‘em, we’ll fly ‘em!’ Defense Bonds Stamps”
b. Image: A pilot in the cockpit of his plane with other planes in the background. He is giving a thumbs up signal.
c. Purpose: To encourage sales of defense bonds.
d. Audience: People in the U.S.
e. Emotion: Pride
f. Underlying message: The pilot looks capable and brave while the planes in the background look impressive. This tries
toconvince everyday Americans that they have a part in keeping the pilots and airplanes flying for the war.
4. We’re in the army now
a. Written message: “We’re in the army now. Your aid is vital. Save metals, rags, paper, bones, rubber, glass. They are
used in war supplies. Get in touch with your local committee.”
b. Three well-dressed women. One is carrying folded newspapers, the other kitchen utensils and the third an iron
decorative item. A dog is carrying a bone.
c. Purpose: To encourage people to recycle home, business, and farm items.
d. Audience: People in the U.S.
e. Emotion: Togetherness
f. Underlying message: The musical notes are there because “We’re in the army now” was a popular song. This
encourages the idea that people at home were helping to fight the war. The use of three attractive, well-dressed women is
a advertising technique that helps people see themselves as characters in the ad who are helping out. The dog was
added as being cute, but actually bones could be used to make glue for aircraft, ground up to make fertilizer or turned into
glycerin for explosives, so even the family dog was helping out.
5. Don’t let that shadow
a. Written message: “Don’t let that shadow touch them. Buy War Bonds”
b. Images: Three children on the grass holding toys. The older boy is holding an airplane while the younger has an
American flag. They look frightened as the shadow of a swastika covers the ground.
c. Purpose: To sell war bonds
d. Audience: People in the U.S.
e. Emotion: Fear
f. Underlying message: That our children could be threatened by Nazi Germany if we don’t win the war.
6. We can do it
a. Written message: “We Can Do It!”
b. Images: A woman dressed in a blue work shirt with a red bandana holding her hair back. She is flexing her arm
muscles.
c. Purpose: Encourage women to work at formerly all-male jobs
d. Audience: Adult women
e. Emotion: Pride
f. Underlying message: By putting her in a blue collar shirt, the poster suggests that women can work in blue collar
positions, since (having her flex her arm muscles) women are strong enough. The premise was that if women would work
in formerly all-male jobs, then men could join the armed forces and fight.
7. Americans will always fight for liberty
a. Written message: “1778, 1943. Americans will always fight for liberty”
b. Images: In the background are Continental army soldiers with the year 1778 over their heads while modern day soldiers
with the date 1943 over their heads march in front. Both groups of soldiers are looking at each other.
c. Purpose: To make the populace feel more patriotic and to reinforce the belief that Americans are fighting World War II
for liberty.
d. Audience: All Americans
e. Emotion: Pride, patriotism
f. Underlying message: Just as the people in Colonial American rose up against tyranny and fought the Revolutionary
War, Americans today are fighting for liberty for themselves and others in World War II .
8. Get a load of this
a. Written message: “Get a load of this… The Army needs lumber for crates and boxes”
b. Image: Three men, two with their shirts off appear to be loading or unloading crates while in the background ships are
under attack.
c. Purpose: To get people to conserve lumber so there would be more for the war effort
d. Audience: Farmers and lumber companiese.
e. Emotion: Wanting to help
f. Underlying message: The posters often showed men with their shirts off and with muscled arms. This was a
propaganda technique to imply that American soldiers were young and strong. The enemy was usually drawn as sinister
characters. This was part of defining the enemy as evil and Americans as good. This poster encouraged people to help
young, strong American soldiers.