United States History World War II (1941-1945)

University:
Concordia University Wisconsin
Course:
HIST 1215 | American Civilization II
Academic year:

2021
Views:

389

Pages:

1
Author:

camilobonilladz36

World War II (1941-1945) When WWII broke out in Europe in the late 1930s, the US maintained a policy of neutrality. Congress passed a number of laws called the Neutrality Acts which said the US couldn’t take sides in the war. ● However, slowly the US began to take the side of England against Germany. The Lend-Lease Act, “cash and carry,” the Atlantic Charter were all signals that the US was moving away from neutrality. FDR said the US would be the “arsenal of democracy” [arsenal = weapon supply]. The US officially entered the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. ● These are the important things that happened inside the US during World War II: o In order to build the first atomic bomb, the government pursued a top-secret program called the Manhattan Project: the first A-bomb exploded in 1945. o Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps during most of the war; the Supreme Court ruled that this was legal in the Korematsu v. United States case (1944). o Wartime industries employed many women (since many men were away at war). The symbol of the woman wartime worker was Rosie the Riveter. ● In order to support the war effort, Americans at home followed a rationing program: which produced much more food for more people so that there was more for soldiers. People also showed support by buying war bonds and planting victory gardens. WWII ended when the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. After the war, the US government helped US veterans with the GI Bill: A law that gave veterans a free college education and money towards buying a house. ● (Also important after the war: The Nuremberg trials of Nazi War criminals and the creation of the United Nations)