Chapter 16: The Home Front

Chapter 16 looks at how Americans at home unified in support of World War II.

Section 1 describes how the United States government mobilized the economy and its civilians to support the war effort. A massive media campaign urged civilians to contribute to the fight for freedom. They answered the call by volunteering for the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD), growing victory gardens, collecting scrap materials, and buying bonds. Industry received incentives for dedicating new and existing factories to military production. As the need for civilian labor increased, women proved they could succeed in a wide variety of fields. President Roosevelt froze wages, fixed maximum prices, and instituted rationing to keep the bustling economy in check.

Section 2 looks at how the war changed society. When millions of Americans left their civilian jobs to join the military, African Americans and whites who stayed behind migrated to fill vacant positions. Populations of boomtowns like Los Angles, Detroit, and Mobile exploded, and basic services, like housing and schools, became overburdened. Families experienced social stresses from being uprooted and overworked. Tensions between residents and migrants escalated, and old racial prejudices resurfaced. In some cities, violent confrontations erupted between whites and African Americans. Many of the New Deal programs remained in effect throughout the war, but military objectives took priority over social reform.

Section 3 explores the events of the 1940s that led to an increased awareness of racism and civil rights. The war against Hitler, a man who believed in a master race, increased many Americans' awareness of racist practices in the United States. African Americans grew more militant in their response to these injustices and began expressing their objections in new ways. A. Philip Randolph, a prominent civil rights leader, threatened a mass demonstration in his March on Washington Movement (MOWM). The MOWM resulted in an Executive Order ceasing discriminatory practices within the federal government. The federal government, however, used racist policies when it targeted Japanese Americans. In 1942 all Japanese Americans were forced to abandon their homes and businesses and to live in barren, armed internment camps for the duration of the war.