WWII: Life on the Home Front
• How did the Second World War affect the US
economy?
• What role did women and minority groups
play in World War II?
Four minority groups were particularly
affected by the Second World War
Women
Japanese Americans
African Americans
Najavo Indians
(Native Americans)
Based on the pictures, which groups do you think
benefited? Which were affected negatively?
Women
Japanese Americans
African Americans
Najavo Indians
(Native Americans)
Women entered
manufacturing jobs
that men left behind
when they went
overseas to fight
1941-14.6 million women
in the workforce
1944-19.4 million women
in the workforce
Gains in women’s rights
during the 20th century…
19th Amendment passed in 1920changes the Constitution to give
women suffrage
Women Produced Wartime goods
Rosie the Riveter
"Do the Job He Left Behind" was a campaign
slogan that emphasized women’s patriotism
for the war effort.
“Rosies” worked on all phases of
manufacturing, from electrical wiring
to putting the finishing touches on a
bomber.
In 1945 the US manufactured 300,000 airplanes,
80,000 landing craft, 100,000 tanks and armored
cars, 6 million rifles, carbines and machine guns,
and 41 million rounds of ammunition
The War Production Board helped turn the
industry from peacetime into a manufacturing
WAR MACHINE.
As manufacturing and production increased, the
US GDP rose the economy dramatically improved.
Nurses in the army
Women also became nurses overseas
The US is still in segregation during
WWII…the military is segregated as well
Plessy v. Ferguson…
“Separate but equal”
Segregated military
The US is still in segregation during
WWII…the military is segregated as well
Plessy v. Ferguson…
“Separate but equal”
…does this reflect
FDR’s “Four Freedoms”?
“…freedom from
want…freedom from fear…”
Who does this apply to?
Tuskegee Airmen
• The Tuskegee Airmen
formed the first African
American fighting unit in
the US military
• They were permitted to
enter the military and fight
once the US faced mounting
casualties
Tuskegee Airmen
• The Tuskegee Airmen
formed the first African
American fighting unit in
the US military
• They were permitted to
enter the military and fight
once the US faced mounting
casualties
• 445 deployed, 150 died in
combat
Tuskegee Airmen
• What were some of the
accomplishments of the
Tuskegee Airmen?
• Check your book on
page 595!
Tuskegee Airmen
• 150 Distinguished
Flying Crosses
• 14 Bronze Stars
• 744 Air Medals
• 8 Purple Hearts
Navajo Code Talkers
• Members of the Navajo
tribe, a Native American
tribe mainly from the New
Mexico area, were recruited
to speak in code to prevent
the Japanese from
intercepting American
messages
Navajo Code Chart (Examples)
Alphabet
Navajo Word
Literal Translation
A
Wol-La-Chee
Ant
B
Na-Hash-Chid
Badger
C
Moasi
Cat
D
Be
Deer
E
Ah-Jah
Ear
F
Ma-E
Fox
Country
Navajo Word
Literal Translation
Africa
Shin-Ni
Blackies
Alaska
Beh-Hga
With Winter
America
Ne-He-Mah
Our Mother
Germany
Bech-Be-Cha-He
Iron Hat
Russia
Sila-Gol-Chi-Ih
Red Army
Recall what we did to the Native American
tribes during Westward Expansion…
Efforts to destroy the Native
American culture and people
• Assimilation
• Reservations
• Indian Wars
• Killing of the buffalo
“We took away their country and
their means of support, broke up
their mode of living, their habits
of life, and it was for this they
made war.”
-General Philip Sheridan
We tried to destroy their
culture…but now we need their
culture to win WWII?
• Wounded Knee
• Sand Creek Massacre
Japanese-American Internment
After the Japanese attack
on Pearl Harbor, many
Americans became afraid
that Japanese-Americans
were a threat to the
national security of the
United States.
Japanese-American Internment
Acting on these fears,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
signed Executive Order
9066, which declared
that all Japanese
Americans must report to
internment camps.
Japanese-American Internment
These JapaneseAmericans had to pack up
their lives and leave their
homes behind.
Some left behind
businesses and jobs that
they would have difficulty
regaining upon their
return.
Japanese-American Internment
Internment camps were
crowded, too hot in the
summer, and too cold in
the winter.
Japanese-American Internment
In the case Korematsu v.
United States, the
Supreme Court said that
Japanese internment was
constitutional (legal).
They said it was for a
military purpose meant to
benefit the war effort, and
therefore not an act of
discrimination.
Japanese-American Internment
This shows, once again,
that civil rights sometimes
don’t apply to all people at
all times.
Remember
Schenck v. US?
Group Assignment
• Get in groups of 3 or 4.
• Answer the following questions in your own
words and complete sentences.
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Minorities- p.493 #4.
African Americans- p.491 #1-2.
Women p. 492 #1-2.
Women p. 501 #1-2.
Japanese p.505 #1-3
Navajo p. 514 People IN HISTORY question.
• Yes, write the questions.