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Office of Price Administration (OPA)
Set up by Executive Order 8875, OPA was meant to control prices and mitigate inflation when World War 2 had begun. It was in charge of rationing items of limited or endangered stock and keeping prices at a fixed number on certain items. A reason for inflation even being a concern was because European nations were buying military equipment from the US, as well as the US making attempts to stay away from conflict. -
Lend-Lease Act
The official purpose of the Lend-Lease act was that the US was allowed to lend out war supplies to other nations if that nation was seen as being vital to defending the United States in the war. It was a way to indirectly help nations that the United States wished to support without officially getting involved in the war. This allowed the US to continue being "neutral" while also helping the side they agreed with win, so not to anger enemies or even the American public. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan wished to take the US out of the war before the nation even had a chance to officially enter. So on December 7th, in an attempt to destroy the US Navy's morale and ships, they bombed Pearl Harbor. What they actually accomplished was pushing the US to be fully invested in the war and fully entering it with far less qualms than what might have been before the bombing. This marked the start of the US's involvement. -
Executive Order 9066
The Executive Order 9066 was a response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was issued in order to authorize the evacuation of people deemed a threat to national security from the US. These people were Japanese American citizens, and they were relocated to internment camps. In these camps, Japanese Americans were isolated from the rest of the nation by barbed-wire and armed guards. While it was much more humanely run then the concentration camps in Germany, it was still an awful experience. -
Island Hopping - Battle of Midway
Occurring from June 4th to June 7th in 1922, the Battle of Midway was the start of the US "island hopping" to fight against Japan in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. The battle consisted of the US using naval pilots to destroy Japan's first-line carrier strength. While there was a battle a month prior, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway was the first battle to implement the island hopping campaign, the act of securing island after island in the Pacific. -
Manhattan Project
Started due to fear of the Germans preparing to use atomic weapons, the US began the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was the creation of the first atomic bomb. It was led by US Army Colonel Leslie R Groves. The bomb was made possible via the mind of theoretical physicist, J Robert Oppenheimer and his work with nuclear fission. Oppenheimer helped create Little Boy and Fat Man. -
Propaganda - "Longing Won't Bring Him Back"
Propaganda was used to garner support for the war and to keep supplying the army with soldiers and workers. This particular poster was meant to empower ladies to help by getting military jobs. It fed off of the idea of women's autonomy and suffrage at the time, as well as their grief over losing male family members. -
D-Day
British, American, and Canadian forces all stormed the beaches of Normandy in France. It is often credited as being the beginning of the end for the war. Lots of deception was used during the attack, including fake weapons and tricking the Germans into believing other areas would be attacked. It served as a massive distraction to keep the Germans focused on the area.