7.8 World War II: Mobilization

Gearing up the economy

WWII pulled America out of the Depression through massive government spending. The War Production Board coordinated conversion of factories to military production (cars to tanks, e.g.). New Deal-style agencies rationed goods, set prices, and issued war bonds. Unemployment vanished as industry boomed, and the federal government's economic role expanded dramatically.

Women and minorities in wartime industry

With men drafted, women entered factories in unprecedented numbers, symbolized by "Rosie the Riveter." African Americans migrated north/west for defense jobs (Second Great Migration), though discrimination persisted. A. Philip Randolph pressured FDR into issuing Executive Order 8802, banning discrimination in defense industries and creating the Fair Employment Practices Committee.

Civil liberties restricted

Fear and prejudice led to the internment of Japanese Americans under Executive Order 9066, forcing over 100,000 into camps without due process; the Supreme Court upheld this in *Korematsu v. United States* (1944). Meanwhile, propaganda campaigns and the Office of War Information mobilized public support and sold war bonds.

Key terms

War Production Board

Federal agency that coordinated conversion of industry to military production during WWII.

Executive Order 8802

Banned discrimination in defense industry hiring; created after A. Philip Randolph's pressure on FDR.

Executive Order 9066

Authorized the forced internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

Supreme Court case upholding the constitutionality of Japanese American internment.

Rosie the Riveter

Cultural icon representing women who entered the industrial workforce during WWII.

Try an AP-style question

Executive Order 9066 (1942) led to…

1. the creation of the draft
2. the internment of Japanese Americans
3. the end of rationing
4. the desegregation of the military