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The War and the West
Due to its proximity to Japan, the west coast of the United States was the hardest hit by the war. The west coast became a manufacturing hub for armaments and proved effective in assisting in gearing the country for war. -
National Defense Research Committee
The NDRC was an oversight board for the wartime innovations occurring within the US. The organization broke the record for development spending, breaking the 100 million threshold, while also being of great service to both the US and its allies. -
Wartime Science & Technology/Radar & Sonar
While the United States was caught off hand by the technologically advanced axis powers, the United States was also quick to develop counter-solutions to their strategies. Both radar and sonar excelled in breaking the superiority of the Japanese air force and German Kriegsmarine. -
ULTRA/Magic
ULTRA was a British code breaking program who were able to decipher many German codes and communications. Magic was a US code breaking initiative to break Japanese codes and communications; which would have prevented Peal Harbor if implemented preemptively. -
Employment Gains for Women/Rosie the Riveter
As the war required more and more men for the effort, women had to fill the roles once held by them on the home front. The character "Rose the Riveter" was created to boost the morale of women on the home front, as well as encourage them into manufacturing and production jobs once held by men. -
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was the United States atomic bomb development project, formed as a response to the Nazi attempts at a similar program. After Uranium was discovered to be radioactive, the program began development - which occurred in an extremely short time frame, ultimately ending in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
Fair Employment Practices Commission
The FEPC was an organization created to ensure the fair treatment of workers, regardless of race. It was an attempt at making a more integrated and united workplace, although its effects were very limited in scope. -
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was an air raid undertaken by Japanese forces on a naval base in Hawaii. The event was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of the American attitude towards the war, leading the US to enter the conflict in retaliation. -
War Production Board
The WPB was intended to be a supreme governmental authority over the war effort in terms of economics; however, its implementation was never truly realized. The board failed in making impactful decisions and had little real impact on the effort as a whole. -
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was when Japanese forces forced American and Philippine POWs to March from Bataan to Camp O'Donnell. The brutality of the march strengthened anti-Japanese sentiment stateside, and was an indirect cause of the internment camps that Japanese-Americans would be later held in. -
Native American Code Talkers
The Navajo code talkers were Navajo Native Americans in the Marine Corps. They communicated over radio in their language, which was perceived as a complex code by the Japanese, remaining undecipherable throughout the duration of the war. -
CORE
The Congress of Racial Equality was an early civil rights organization that would blaze the trail for later movements. Their most notable public action occurred when the group succeeded in restaurant desegregation in Washington DC. -
Japanese Internment
Due to suspicion surrounding those of Japanese heritage stateside, decisions were made to intern Japanese and those of Japanese descent. The event is the conclusion of a culmination of preexisting anti-Japanese sentiment, which was further bolstered by the state of war. -
Employment Gains for Mexican Americans (braceros)
Due to the Great Depression and racial divisions, Mexican-American laborers were often sidelined in favor of white workers. However, Mexican immigration still persisted, with many being able to fill much needed roles during the war. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway took place after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was a surprise attack on the Japanese. The Americans were able to intercept and decipher Japanese communications. It was the first Japanese naval loss in 50 years. -
Casablanca Conference
The Casablanca Conference was a meeting between the leaders of the allied powers, excluding the Soviet Union, due to Stalin declining to attend. The meeting helped streamline military strategy and generated comradely between the leaders present. -
Cairo Conference
The Cairo Conference was another meeting between the allied leaders to discuss military action against Japan. At the conference, it was decided that all territory ceded to Japan since WWI would be re-appropriated and unconditional surrender would be required. -
Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act
Due to the newly found mutual enemy between the US and Chinese, the existing exclusion act was repealed. However, the quota for Chinese allowed into the nation was still quite low, only increasing at a gradual rate over time. This allowed for a greater workforce for wartime production. -
Zoot Suit Riots
The name of these riots are in reference to the dress of the "pachucos". The riots resulted in the banning of the wearing of Zoot suits. -
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen was a group of African-American pilots. Because the military was racially segregated, the group was created to allow the best African-American pilots to become fighter pilots. -
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference was between the United States, United Kingdom, and USSR to discuss the German offensive. At the conference, it was pledged to create the United Nations. The conference resulted in a stronger approach to the Nazis on all sides. -
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was part of a massive German offensive in a futile attempt to block the allies from using a port. The attack did little in the way of accomplishing its goal, only succeeding in slowing down the allied encroachment. -
Korematsu v U.S.
This court precedent declared the constitutionality of the Japanese internment camps. The specific clause prohibited the unlawful internment of "loyal citizens", leaving the discretion of determining this to the circumstances evaluated by the government. -
1944 Presidential Election
In the election of 1944, President FDR won a landmark victory against Republican opponent, Thomas Dewey. Roosevelt was also assisted by a majority of Democrats in both the House and Senate, enabling him to proceed with his plans. -
Invasion of Normandy “D-Day”
The invasion of Normandy was an invasion launched against Nazi-Controlled France. The invasion occurred after a series of diversions, leading the Nazis to think the invasion would occur elsewhere. The invasion itself split the Nazis along two fronts, leading to the beginning of the fall of the German occupied France. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference was between the major allied powers in order to discuss the division of post-war Germany. Because of the US' presence at the conference, democracy was made a mandatory implement in post-war plans. -
Iwo jima
The battle of Iwo Jima was a US invasion of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. The American forces succeeded in taking the island, providing a valuable flight point with the ability to reach mainland Japan, solidifying American superiority in the Pacific front. -
Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa allowed the US to get closer than ever to the Japanese mainland island, as well as take strategic holdings on the island of Okinawa. The battle was truly the death knell for Japanese forces. -
Atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The two bombings were undertaken by the United States on Japanese cities. The two cities were of significant importance to the Japanese war effort, particularly Hiroshima, which was a major manufacturing hub. The bombings were likely strongarm intimidation tactics used by Truman to demonstrate the nuclear capability of the US, and were not necessarily required to coerce a surrender out of the Japanese. -
Liberation of Concentration Camps and the end of the Holocaust
As German territory was taken by the advancing USSR forces, the Soviets liberated the German concentration camps in the eastern part of the Nazi territory. The prisoners were freed, but often found difficulties in finding a new country of residence after their internment. This also assisted in changing the view of the Nazis in Europe, as their atrocities became more known. -
VE Day
VE day was marked as the day of Germany's unconditional surrender to allied forces. It marked the end of the war in Western Europe, allowing the United States to turn their full attention to the Pacific theater. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was a follow up to the Yalta conference, discussing the unconditional surrender offered by the Germans after the death of Hitler and Goebbels. The conference also served as a way to discuss the atomic bomb and as a demonstration of the United States' nuclear capability. -
VJ Day
VJ Day was celebrated as the day that the United States achieved victory over the Japanese forces. This marked the official end of WWII for the United States.