America In a World At War

 Jap Victories – Am. Airfields Manila, Guam, Wake Island and Hong Kong. GB –
Singapore in Malaya surrender 1942, dutch east indies in march, Burma in april,. May 6th
flips and ams give up defense of islands.
 Battle of Coral Sea – NW of Australia May 7-8th 1942 turned back jap navy.
 Midway Island-pJune 3-6 1942 USW regain control of pac.
 Battle Of Stalingrad Red army of USSR holds off g’y assault at staligrad = hitler couldn’t
cont. east’n offensives
 Allies capture rome june 4th 1944
 B/c US did not help jews by admitting them to US they “morally failed”.
 Mid-1941 unemploymet deflation and iindustrial sluggishness fade away b/c wartime
industrial expansion.
 Elderly, young, women and minorties gained work b/c soldiers were taken away.
 Boost to union membership b/c war
 No Strike Pledge – Unions agreed not to stop procution in wartime and Little Steeel
formula = st 15 % limit on wage increases.
 Office Pricae Admin. Led first by leon Henderson = causes inflation to be less serious.
Black marketing / overcharging gorw.
 US paid for war by selling 100 billion worth of bonds, increased income tax through
revenue act of 1942.
 War Production Board -1942, tried to control military purchases/ satisy complaints of
small business which claimed most contracts went to big business. Then became OWM –
office of war mobilization.
 Naqtional defense research committee (office of sci. research and devlpmt.spent 100 mil
on research and dcvlpt.)
 Radar and Sonar advanced helped decimate uboats in ’43. 1940-centrimetric radar –
narrow beams short wavelength made radar more efficient / effective.Long range
bombing possible b/c boeing b17f and brit. Lancaster B1.
 Gee and Oboe system help navigate and send messages
 Bombe-could decipher enigma messages
 Colussus II – digital computer1944
 Fair employment practices commission – investigate discrimination vs. A.A. in war
industries thank to A Phillip Randolph.
 Detroit 1943 – riot 34 ppl dead 25 black.
 The Congress of Racial Equality 1042 – mobilized mass popular resistance to
discrimination.
 Military is segregated but by end of war some parts desegregate.
 Native Ams. Used as code-talkers esp. Navajos.Wartime emphasis on national unity
undermined support for the revitalization of tribal autnonmy that Indian reorganization
act of ’34 launched.1942 – Bracerso Mexican immigrant worker program. 2nd largest
immigration grouop
 Were mainly in west.Zoot suiters join gangs / pachucos.
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