25 The United States in World War II
CHAPTER OBJECTIVE
INTERACT WITH HISTORY
TIME LINE
MAP
SECTION
1 Mobilizing for Defense
SECTION
2 The War for Europe and North Africa
SECTION
3 The War in the Pacific
GRAPH
SECTION
4 The Home Front
VISUAL SUMMARY
QUIT

25 The United States in World War II
HOME
CHAPTER OBJECTIVE
To understand the military campaigns, political decisions, and efforts on the home front that won
World War II

25 The United States in World War II
I N T E R A C T
W I T H H I S T O R Y
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.
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?
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25 The United States in World War II
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.
TIME LINE
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.

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
HOME

1
Mobilizing for Defense
OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA
Following the attack on Pearl
Harbor, the United States mobilized for war.
HOME
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
Military industries in the United
States today are a major part of the American economy.
TERMS & NAMES
• War Production Board (WPB)
• Manhattan Project
• A. Philip Randolph
• rationing
• George Marshall
• Office of Price Administration
(OPA)
• Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp
(WAAC)
ASSESSMENT

1
Mobilizing for Defense
ASSESSMENT
1. List four ways that America prepared for war.
Industries geared up for wartime production.
Creation of WAAC
HOME
Preparation for War,
1941-1942
Employment of women in the war industry
Establishment of OPA and WPB continued . . .

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.
HOME
End of Section 1

MAP
2
The War for Europe and North Africa
HOME
KEY IDEA
The United States, Great Britain, and the
Soviet Union cooperate in the fight to defeat Germany and its allies.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT

MAP
2
The War for Europe and North Africa
OVERVIEW
HOME
MAIN IDEA
Allied forces, led by the United
States and Great Britain, battled
Axis powers for control of
Europe and North Africa.
TERMS & NAMES
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
During World War II, the
United States assumed a leading role in world affairs that continues today.
• Omar Bradley
• George Patton
• Harry S. Truman
• D-Day
• V-E Day
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Battle of the Bulge
ASSESSMENT

MAP
2
The War for Europe and North Africa
HOME
ASSESSMENT
1. List the major events influencing the fighting in Europe and North Africa.
Event Two
Jan. 31, 1943
Germans surrender at
Stalingrad.
Event Four
May 1944
Battle of Anzio ends.
Event Six
July 1944
Russians liberate first death camp.
Event Eight
May 8, 1945
Germany surrenders.
Event One
Dec. 22, 1941
Churchill and
Roosevelt meet at the White
House.
Event Three
May 1943
Last of Afrika
Korps surrenders.
Event Five
June 6, 1944
Allies invade
Normandy.
Event Seven
January 1945
Germany loses
Battle of the
Bulge.
continued . . .

MAP
2
The War for Europe and North Africa
HOME
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 . . .

MAP
2
The War for Europe and North Africa
HOME
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

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 the war in the Pacific, the United
States unleashed a terrible new weapon, the atomic bomb.
Countries of the modern world struggle to find ways to prevent the use of nuclear weapons.
TERMS & NAMES
HOME
• Chester Nimitz
• Battle of Midway
• Nuremberg trials
• Nagasaki
• Hiroshima
• kamikaze
• J. Robert Oppenheimer
• Douglas MacArthur
ASSESSMENT

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3
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
Philippines
Doolittle’s raid
Midway
Leyte Gulf
Okinawa
Hiroshima
Nagasaki
Significance
Japanese victory destroyed the myth of white supremacy in Asia.
American spirits lifted by the Tokyo bombing.
Damaged Japanese air power
Reduced Japanese navy to minor role
Allowed attack on Japan itself
America is first to use the atomic bomb.
Led to Japan’s surrender continued . . .

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3
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 . . .

3
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.
HOME 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

GRAPH
4
The Home Front
KEY IDEA
Americans begin to adjust to new economic opportunities and continuing social problems after World War II.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
HOME

GRAPH
4
The Home Front
OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW
After World War II, Americans adjusted to new economic opportunities and harsh social tensions.
TERMS & NAMES
Economic opportunities afforded by World War II led to a more diverse middle class in the United
States.
HOME
• GI Bill of Rights
• Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE)
• internment
• James Farmer
• Japanese American Citizens
League (JACL)
ASSESSMENT

GRAPH HOME
4
The Home Front
Economy
ASSESSMENT
1. List the advances and problems in the economy and in civil rights during World War II.
Civil Rights
Advances
Low unemployment, rising crop prices, opportunities for women
More equality in the military, founding of CORE
Problems
Shortage of housing and food, rationing
Segregation, discrimination, race riots in Detroit and Los
Angeles; internment of
Japanese Americans continued . . .

GRAPH
4
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.
HOME continued . . .

GRAPH HOME
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 . . .

GRAPH HOME
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 longstanding policy of discrimination against minorities.
End of Section 4