U. S. Homefront Activities

“Rosie the Riveter

2.5 million women work in shipyards, aircraft factories, and manufacturing

4 million women hired for government clerical work http://youtu.be/55NCElsbjeQ

African Americans Demand War Work A. Philip Randolp, head of Brotherhood of Sleeping

Car Porters, challenges FDR with a march on D.C. FDR creates Fair Employment Practices

Commission- 1st civil rights agency since Reconstruction to bar discrimination- 1941

Mexicans become farmworkers

Wartime economy needed more workers bracero program- 200,000 Mexicans

came to US to harvest crops -1942 https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=BGeB7kG6Q88&feature=youtu.be&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Japanese American Relocation Camps Reaction to Japanese attack on Pearl? Would

Japanese Americans would not remain loyal? FDR signs order the create camps for over

100,000 Japanese Americans: 1942-1945 No Japanese American every found to be a spy.

Translators/ most highly decorated unit- 442nd

Victory Gardens

Civilians were encouraged to plant extra gardens so they would eat home produce and ship the extra food to the military. http://youtu.be/4ZgXsXIavPI

Rationing Office of Price Administration began

rationing- limiting product availability at home- more availability for military: meat, sugar, gasoline, rubber, nylon

http://youtu.be/60qOtTaz6VQ

Scrap Drives War Production Board- turns peace

time factories into wartime factories Sets up collection drives: fat-

collection, metal, paper, rubber to recycle for war

http://youtu.be/L7q_DGX_HKk

War Bonds Government spent $300 billion on WWII

Half of the war effort was funded by E Bonds- pay $18.75 redeem for $25 in 10 years http://youtu.be/C8H00RPk948

Taxes raised to fund war Government raised taxes to cover 45%

of war ( prior to WWII only the wealthiest pay taxes – ½ Americans didn’t pay at all )

Propaganda

To encourage the country to support the war in every way http://smithsonianeducation.org/idealabs/wwii/

possible