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Women in WW2
During WWII, American women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers, as widespread male enlistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force.Nearly one out of every four married women worked outside their home. An additional 350,000 women served in the U.S. Armed Forces, both at home and abroad. -
The Draft
In June 1940 , with WWII on in full force in Europe and Asia, the U.S. Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act by the slimmest of margins--one vote. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill into law that September 16, establishing the first peacetime draft in American history. The Selective Training and Service Act required all men between the ages of 21 and 36 to register with their local draft boards. -
Lend-Lease Act
U.S. tried to maintain neutrality while aiding the allies. Congress passed the Lend-Lease act, ivin gthe president the authority to "sell, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of any defence article" to any nation whose defence he considered critical to that of the United States. -
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes attacked the American Naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. It only lasted two hours but it destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels and almmost 200 airplanes. -
Executive Order of 9066
The attack on Pearl Harbor made many people susicious about the Japanese-Americans. Roosevelt signed the Executive Oder 9066 in February of 1942 which allowed the U.S. Department of War to expand the zones of exclusion and remove "any and all persons" from such areas. -
War Propaganda
Every country involved in WWII used some form of propaganda to promote its own cause and attack that of its opponets. The U.S. government employed various mediums--including flims, photographs, and advertisements. Many of these featured racist and ethnic stereotypes of the enemy. -
Manhattan Project
A U.S government authorized topsecret program of nuclear testing and development.It's goal was the development of the world's first atomic bomb. -
G.I. Bill
The G.I. Bill of rights provided veterans with financial assistance for education, government guarantees on low cost loans and overall improvements in care. In 1944 Congress passed legislation that would provide returning veterans with benifits for education and training as well as loan guarantees for homes, farms, or businesses and fair pay for unemployment. On June 22, 1944, President Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill of Rights, formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act.
