Mobilizing for Defense
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was meant to demoralize Americans, but it had the exact opposite effect by uniting Americans under the slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor!" After Pearl Harbor, many young Americans joined the war effort, mostly to be recognized as heroes. However, even with 5 million volunteers, it wasn't enough for an all out war in Europe and the Pacific. As a result, the Selective Service expanded the draft and provided another 10 million soldiers. The volunteers and draftees we're end off to military bases for eight weeks of basic training under seasoned sergeants, who were meant to train them into battle ready GIs.
There was an intense need for military work that Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall pushed for the formation of a Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). Under this bill women would serve in noncombat positions. The bill became law on May 15, 1942 and provided official status and salary, but fewer benefits than the male soldiers. It wasn't until July of 1943 that the "auxiliary" was dropped and the WAC were granted full U.S. Army benefits. The WACs worked nearly every job not involving direct combat including working as nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricians, and pilots.
For many minority groups, the war created new dilemmas such as being restricted to segregated neighborhoods and reservations and being denied basic citizenship rights. Regardless, more than 300,000 Mexican Americans joined the war effort. About one million African Americans also served in the military, but they had to live in segregated units and were restricted to mostly noncombat positions and were finally able to join in combat starting April 1943. Aside from Mexican Americans and African Americans, Asian Americans also joined the war effort. About 13 thousand Chinese Americans joined the forces and 33 thousand Japanese Americans out on uniforms and served as spies and interpreters. Native Americans were also involved, about 25 thousand joined and 800 were women.
The Industrial Response
Within weeks, automobile companies, bedspread makers and many more changed from producing everyday goods to war products such as tanks. At the same time, shipyards were expanding incredibly quickly. Liberty ships could now be assembled in just a few days thanks to premade parts.
In 1944, nearly 18 million laborers worked in war industries. More than 6 million of these workers were women. Employers were reluctant to hire women, but once they proved that they would operate the machinery just as well as any man, employers rushed to hire women, especially since women earned 60 percent of what a man earned doing the same job. Defense plants also hired about 2 million minority workers and these workers faced strong prejudice at first. Before the war, 75 percent of defense workers refused to hire African Americans and another 15 percent hired them to do menial jobs. To protest discrimination in military and industry, A. Philip Randolph, president and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the nation’s most respected African-American labor leader, organized a march on Washington on July 1, 1941. The March was supposed to be under the banner “We Loyal Colored Americans Demand the Right to Work and Fight for Our Country.” Fearing white resentment and violence, President Roosevelt called Randolph to the White House and asked him to back down. Randolph refused and when asked. He said that he planned to have one hundred thousand people marching in Washington, which was more than segregated Washington could feed, house and transport. In the end, it was Roosevelt who backed off after extracting a promise for Randolph to cancel the March if he made an executive order to call all employers and labor unions to hire without discrimination.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was meant to demoralize Americans, but it had the exact opposite effect by uniting Americans under the slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor!" After Pearl Harbor, many young Americans joined the war effort, mostly to be recognized as heroes. However, even with 5 million volunteers, it wasn't enough for an all out war in Europe and the Pacific. As a result, the Selective Service expanded the draft and provided another 10 million soldiers. The volunteers and draftees we're end off to military bases for eight weeks of basic training under seasoned sergeants, who were meant to train them into battle ready GIs.
There was an intense need for military work that Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall pushed for the formation of a Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). Under this bill women would serve in noncombat positions. The bill became law on May 15, 1942 and provided official status and salary, but fewer benefits than the male soldiers. It wasn't until July of 1943 that the "auxiliary" was dropped and the WAC were granted full U.S. Army benefits. The WACs worked nearly every job not involving direct combat including working as nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricians, and pilots.
For many minority groups, the war created new dilemmas such as being restricted to segregated neighborhoods and reservations and being denied basic citizenship rights. Regardless, more than 300,000 Mexican Americans joined the war effort. About one million African Americans also served in the military, but they had to live in segregated units and were restricted to mostly noncombat positions and were finally able to join in combat starting April 1943. Aside from Mexican Americans and African Americans, Asian Americans also joined the war effort. About 13 thousand Chinese Americans joined the forces and 33 thousand Japanese Americans out on uniforms and served as spies and interpreters. Native Americans were also involved, about 25 thousand joined and 800 were women.
The Industrial Response
Within weeks, automobile companies, bedspread makers and many more changed from producing everyday goods to war products such as tanks. At the same time, shipyards were expanding incredibly quickly. Liberty ships could now be assembled in just a few days thanks to premade parts.
In 1944, nearly 18 million laborers worked in war industries. More than 6 million of these workers were women. Employers were reluctant to hire women, but once they proved that they would operate the machinery just as well as any man, employers rushed to hire women, especially since women earned 60 percent of what a man earned doing the same job. Defense plants also hired about 2 million minority workers and these workers faced strong prejudice at first. Before the war, 75 percent of defense workers refused to hire African Americans and another 15 percent hired them to do menial jobs. To protest discrimination in military and industry, A. Philip Randolph, president and founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the nation’s most respected African-American labor leader, organized a march on Washington on July 1, 1941. The March was supposed to be under the banner “We Loyal Colored Americans Demand the Right to Work and Fight for Our Country.” Fearing white resentment and violence, President Roosevelt called Randolph to the White House and asked him to back down. Randolph refused and when asked. He said that he planned to have one hundred thousand people marching in Washington, which was more than segregated Washington could feed, house and transport. In the end, it was Roosevelt who backed off after extracting a promise for Randolph to cancel the March if he made an executive order to call all employers and labor unions to hire without discrimination.