Chapter 14
Reasons for use of atomic bomb
Cause Japan to surrender they refused and Truman ordered the dropping of the bomb because it was his duty to use every weapon to save American lives.
Changes in American society
For Americans at home, living without was not that difficult. Many people remembered the Depression. By comparison, things were not that bad. Most people were glad to have some way to help, to take an active part in the war. They pitched in to help. Americans accepted rationing. They did without consumer goods happily. They even had fun with it. At that time, nylon stockings had a line up the back. Women couldn't buy stockings, but they could paint the back of their legs with a line, and many did.
End of the Great Depression
In contrast to the devastation that large parts of Europe and Asia experienced, American society gained some benefits from World War II. The war finally ended the Great Depression. Mobilizing the economy created almost 19 million new jobs and nearly doubled the average family's income. For Robert Montgomery, a worker at an Ohio machine tool plant, "one of the most important things that came out of World War II was the arrival of the working class at a new status level in this society. . . . The war integrated into the mainstream a whole chunk of society that had been living on the edge."
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack led to the US's entry into WWII
Uses of propaganda
The Office of War Information spread propaganda, or information and ideas designed to promote a cause. Examples included posters encouraging people to join the armed forces or to save gasoline. The OWI also warned the public about the dangers they faced. Hollywood made a series of patriotic films that featured soldiers and workers on the home front. Sometimes the drive to influence public attitudes led to conflict. For example, the Barnette ruling argued that Americans could not be forced to salute the flag.
Korematsu v. United States
The Supreme Court tried to find the right balance between the rights of Japanese Americans and wartime needs. Fred Korematsu refused the executive order that relocated 110,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps. Korematsu was born in Oakland, California, and was an American citizen. He was arrested and then appealed his case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled against Korematsu stating that the relocation order was justified as a temporary wartime measure. He continued to work for civil rights and had his conviction overturned in 1983.
Nuremberg war crimes trials
The discovery of Hitler's death camps led the Allies to put 24 surviving Nazi leaders on trial for crimes against humanity, crimes against the peace, and war crimes. The trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany "I was only following orders" was not an acceptable defense as 12 of the 24 were sentenced to death and the others to life in prison
Island hopping
The phrase given to the strategy employed by the United States to gain military bases and secure the many small islands in the Pacific. The attack was lead by General Douglas MacArthur, Commander of the Allied forces in the South west Pacific, and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-chief of the Pacific fleet. The US troops targeted the islands that were not as strongly defended by the Japanese. They took control of those islands, and quickly constructed landing strips and small military bases. Then they proceeded to attack other islands from the bases they had established. Slowly the US army moved closer to Japan, taking control of many of the surrounding islands. The island hopping strategy was very costly. The US soldiers were not used to the guerilla style of fighting, and the Japanese had the advantage of controlling many of the islands. Further, many US soldiers succumbed to illnesses such as Malaria, dysentery and skin fungus. Ultimately, the island hopping campaign was successful. It allowed the US to gain control over sufficient islands in the Pacific to get close enough to Japan to launch a mainland invasion. However, the island hopping took a long time and was very costly; even after war was close to ending in Europe it appeared that the war might continue indefinitely in the Pacific. Fearing a drawn out war with many more casualties, the US made plans to end the war quickly and force Japan's surrender. They achieved this with the World's first Atomic bombs
Homefront
The war provided a lift to the U.S. economy Jobs were abundant and despite rationing and shortages, people had money to spend. By the end of the war, America was the world's dominant economic and military power. Unemployment fell to only 1.2% by 1944 and wages rose 35%. Farmers too benefited as production doubled and income tripled. Women enjoyed economic gains during the war, although many lost their jobs after the war. Over 6 million women entered the workforce for the first time. Over 1/3 were in the defense industry.
Japanese internment
When the war began, 120,000 Japanese Americans lived in the U.S. - mostly on the West Coast After Pearl Harbor, many people were suspicious of possible spy activity by Japanese Americans In 1942, FDR ordered Japanese Americans into 10 relocation centers. Executive Order 9066. After Pearl Harbor, military officials began to investigate the Japanese American community for signs of spying or other illegal activity. It was recommended that all people of Japanese background be removed from the West Coast. Order 9066 established military zones and could force people to leave these zones. Japanese Americans in California, Washington, Oregon, and Arizona were forced into internment camps. Many lost their homes and businesses. Japanese American Loyalty While interned, Japanese Americans were forced to answer questions about their loyalty to the United States. German and Italian Americans also faced restrictions. Many young people from the camps joined the armed forces to prove their loyalty. Not all Japanese Americans accepted their internment peacefully. Some mounted legal challenges such as Korematsu v. United States.
Women and minorities
Women joined the armed forces, as they had done during World War I. The army enlisted women for the first time, although they were barred from combat. Many jobs in the army were administrative and clerical. Assigning women to these jobs made more men available for combat. Congress first allowed women in the military in May 1942, when it established the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and appointed Oveta Culp Hobby, an official with the War Department, to serve as its first director. Although pleased about the establishment of the WAAC, many women were unhappy that it was an auxiliary corps and not part of the regular army. A little over a year later, the army replaced the WAAC with the Women's Army Corps (WAC). The following year, Nancy Love wrote to army officials to suggest that women be allowed to deliver planes. (The air force was not yet a separate branch of the military.) Training programs began in 1942; the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) began the next year. Although the WASPs were no longer needed after 1944 about 300 women pilots made more than 12,000 deliveries of 77 different kinds of planes. The Coast Guard, the navy, and the marines quickly followed the army and set up their own women's units. In addition to serving in these new organizations, another 68,000 women served as nurses in the army and navy. Japanese Americans were not allowed to serve in the military at first. As the war progressed, however, second-generation Japanese Americans served in the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Almost half had been in internment camps in the American Southwest. Together these units became the most decorated in the history of the United States military. Many Mexican Americans had joined the National Guard during the 1930s and served on the front lines. Most minorities were allowed only in noncombat positions, such as kitchen workers. Native Americans, who were regarded as fierce warriors, were an exception to that policy. One- third of all healthy Native American men aged 18-50 served during the war.