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The Draft
The U.S. Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act by the slimmest of margins. President FDR signed the bill into law 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
The Lend Lease Act maintained a cover of U.S. nuetrality by claiming that loans were made in the interest of national defense. An initial form of rent-free leases on air force and military bases. The lend lease program allowed the U.S. to provide its allies with aid in the form of tanks, planes, ammunition and construction supplies such as aluminum and telephone wires. -
Pearl Harbor
The U.S. Navy raced to recover what was left of their fleet to fight back against Japan. The Japan striking force destroyed two U.S. battleships sunk another and severly damaged four others.Japan failed at destroying some main parts wich led to a succesful recovery by the U.S. -
Japanese Americans
The attack on Pearl Harbor led to suspicions motivated mostly by rascism and fear about the loyalty of Japanese Americans. Almost immediately after Pearl Harbor the U.S. issued all citizens of Japanese ancestry as "enemy aliens". Many Japanese Americans were forced to abandon farms, businesses and other assets -
The U-boat Peril
The German navy lauched a series of U-boat raids on America's Eastern Seaboard. The Germans referred to this period as the "Second Happy Time". U-boat attacks accounted for nearly 157,000 tons of U.S. shipping losses. -
G.I. Bill
Congress debated and passed the GI Bill of Rights. The G.I. Bill would provide returning veterans with financial assistance for education. The VA was responsible for carrying out the main provisions of the GI Bill -
Rationing
The U.S. government made plans to ration goods considered essential to the war effort. President Roosevelt signed a bill expanding the powers of the Office of Price Adjustment to set price controls and supply levels. One immediate need was for rubber. -
Women in WWII
American women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers, as widespread male elistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force. An additional 350,000 women served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The aviation industry saw the greatest increase in female workers -
Manhattan Project
The goal of The Manhattan Project was to develop the worlds first atomic bomb. Tennessee Valley met the projects requirements. President Truman approved the use of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -
War Propaganda
Every country involved in WWII used some form of propaganda to promote its own cause. The U.S. government employed various mediums. Many of these featured rascist and ethnic stereotypes of the enemy.
