From Isolationism to War (pp. 585-589)
1. Neutrality Acts-
-prevented Americans from selling arms to any nation
-1935-banned U.S. from selling weapons to nations at war
-1936- banned U.S. from making loans with countries fighting in the war
-1937- U.S. could trade nonmilitary items to countries at war as long as they paid cash
-These laws made it impossible for the United States to aid friendly nations
-Roosevelt pushed for "all aid short of war" to nations against the Axis countries
2. Cash and Carry-
-term used to describe the type of sale Americans had to make with nations at war
3. American First Committee-
-most powerful isolationist group in America
-wanted to keep America neutral by not aiding allies like Great Britain. It tried to influence public opinion
-committee was dissolved four days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor
4. Lend-Lease Act-
-developed to aid the countries that were fighting the Axis powers
-allowed the president to transfer weapons, food, or equipment to any nation fighting a war that would
support American security
-payment was made by the contributions and sacrifices of the other Allied nations
-Russia agreed to pay the debt of the former Soviet Union and began making payments in 1994
5. Mothers’ Crusade-
-protested outside Congress to stop the passage of the Land-Lease Act
6. Pearl Harbor-
-December 7, 1941
-Japan attacks the U.S. Naval base in Hawaii
-America declares war on Axis Powers
7. Jeanette Rankin-
-only person in Congress to vote no to declare war on Japan after Pearl Harbor (338-1)
-first woman elected to the United States Congress.
-also voted against U.S. participation in World War I
-later headed opposition to U.S. involvement in the Korean War and the Vietnam Wars
Mobilization (pp. 594-599)
8. Selective Service Act-
-supported by FDR as the first peace time draft in U.S. history
-many men joined the armed forces after the attack of Pearl Harbor
9. GIs-
-name American soldiers went by in World War II
-short for Government Issue
10. Womens’ Army Corps
-WAC
-created by Congress in 1942 to allow women to join and serve in the military
-performed non-combat roles here and overseas
-had the same structure of ranks as the men’s army units had
-dissolved in 1978 when women were integrated into regular army
11. Code Talkers-
-Navajo Indians recruited by the marines to be radio operators
-Germans never broke the code or understood the language of the Indians
12. Tuskegee Airmen-
-at first, African-Americans were only given supportive roles in the war
-as casualties mounted, African-Americans were give a combat role
-they served in segregated units
-Tuskegee Institute trained black squadron of airmen
13. War Production Board-
-directed the conversion from peace time industries to war time industries
-allocated all natural resources for the purpose of producing war material
-Ford Motor Co. retooled to create fighter planes
-mass production tactics were used to create “Liberty Ships” merchant ships to carry supplies
14. Office of War Mobilization-
-served as a centralization office of all the other war time offices
-kept track of what was going on in America
15. War Bonds-
-sold by the U.S. government to generate money now for the war effort
-eventually, buyers could cash in war bonds and collect interest
-like taking stock in America
16. Rations-
-the purchase of some important products was limited
-people needed stamps or coupons as well as cash in order to purchase goods which were being rationed
-sugar, flour, rubber, gasoline, coffee, meat, butter, and other products
17. Office of Price Administration-
-established to make rations decisions
-also controlled prices to stop inflation
18. Office of War Information-
-worked with media groups to keep Americans involved in the war effort
-came up with many catchy slogans and advertisements
19. Victory Gardens-
-vegetable gardens that people were encouraged to grow to ease the shortage of food
-all available land was to be turned into victory gardens
-responsible for one-third of the countries vegetable production
20. Civil Defense-
-usually made up of men too old for active duty
-responsible for making sure people were following the new war time rules
-remained on the lookout for suspicious activities and attack
-organized children for recycle drives
-recognizable with their CD armbands
Retaking Europe (pp. 600-608)
21. Atlantic Charter-
-created at a secret meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill on board ship in the north Atlantic
-spelled out the plans, objectives, and eventual goals the allies would have for fighting World War II
-eventually became the blueprint for the United Nations
22. The Bismarck-
-the most powerful German battleship, it was used to sink and destroy British supply ships
-the British navy was determined to sink it
-the British ship the Hood battled the Bismarck between Greenland and Iceland before being sunk
-the entire British navy was chasing and trying to locate the Bismarck
-eventually it was found off the coast of France and sunk
-divers found the wreckage of the ship in 1989
23. General Erwin Rommel-
-German general who led German forces in North Africa
-also known as the Desert Fox for his clever tactics against the British
-took over control of Normandy in 1944
-was sentenced to death for his role in an assassination attempt of Hitler
24. General Dwight D. Eisenhower-
-leader of allied forces in Europe and supreme commander of Allied invasion of France
-eventual President of the United States
25. D-Day-
-June 6, 1944, turning point in the war in Europe
-Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of German occupied Normandy, France
-greatest mass of troops ever in the history of the world
-huge casualties on both sides
-Allies were able to gain a foothold in the northern part of Europe from which to launch ground attacks against Germany
-Americans landed at beaches code named Omaha and Utah
26. General George Patton-
-known as Old Blood and Guts
-invaded the beaches of North Africa and led attacks in Italy
-headed the American forces in France pushing the Germans back to Germany
-was known for his outspoken comments and reckless behavior, he was either applauded and criticized
27. Battle of the Bulge-
-German troops surprised and overwhelmed American forces in Belgium and Luxembourg in December
1944
-a last desperate effort by the Germans to push throughout the Allied lines in Europe
-Eisenhower quickly sent huge numbers of troops to stop the advancing Germans
-Germans lacked the troops and fuel to actually thrust through the lines
-after three weeks of heavy fighting, the Allies had restored the line.
-largest battle in U.S. history
28. V-E Day-
-Victory in Europe - May 8, 1945
-Soviet forced push all the way to Berlin
-American forces liberated the concentration camps
-Hitler commits suicide in his Berlin bunker as the city is being bombed
-remaining leaders of Germany sign peace treaty
29. Yalta Conference-
-meeting of the “Big Three,” Franklin Roosevelt (U.S.), Winston Churchill (Britain), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)
-plan for post-war Europe was created
-Germany and the German capital city of Berlin would be divided and occupied by the Big Three and France
-Soviet Union agreed to hold free elections in Eastern Europe and enter the war against Japan
-critics said Roosevelt and Churchill allowed the Soviet Union to hold too much power in Europe
-the Eastern Europe issue would dominate foreign affairs for the next fifty years
The Holocaust (pp. 609-613)
30. Holocaust-
-Nazi Germany’s systematic murder of Jews and other “undesirables”
-over six million Jews were killed, along with 5 million others
-many were shot, starved, poisoned, or gassed in mass murders
31. Concentration Camps-
-camps to which Jews were sent
-men, women, and children were usually split up
-some were forced to work, others were killed
32. Final Solution-
-Nazi’s plan for dealing with the Jews
-kill them all
33. War Refugee Board-
-although unpopular with some in America, this board was created by Franklin Roosevelt
-designed to help those threatened by Hitler and the Nazis
-although only about 1,000 Jews were brought to America, the WRB helped finance Jewish refugees to other countries in Europe
34. Nuremberg Trials-
-an international trial held at Nuremberg, Germany against those responsible for the death camps in Germany
-of the twenty-four Nazi defendants, twelve were condemned to die
The War in the Pacific (pp. 614-621)
35. Douglas MacArthur-
-head of military operations in the Far East at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack
-surprised, his troops were trapped on the Bataan Peninsula awaiting rescue
-”I shall return” MacArthur said when Roosevelt ordered him to leave
36. “Flying Tigers”-
-American volunteer pilots who helped China fight against the Japanese
37. Bataan Death March-
-2,000 soldiers captured at Bataan met up with 11,000 captured at Corregidor (76,000 with others)
-already weak from lack of food, fatigue, and injury, they were forced to march over 60 miles to a train station
-the train was stopped eight miles from the camp and they were again forced to march
-more than 15,000 soldiers died
-Japanese leaders were later put on trial for war crimes, seven were executed
38. Geneva Convention-
-international standards set up after World War I to insure proper treatment of POW’s
-POW’s were to be treated humanly, given medical care, and kept safe
39. James Doolittle-
-led a daring mission, dropping bombs on Tokyo
-B-25 bombers were not meant to fly from aircraft carriers (Hornet)
-without enough fuel to return, the force crashed landed in China hoping to escape
-damage was minimal, but psychologically forced Japan to pull back to protect their homeland
40. The Sullivan Brothers-
-five brothers from Waterloo, Iowa serving aboard the USS Juneau
-their ship was hit by two Japanese torpedoes and sunk
-all five brothers were killed
-US government changed its policy of allowing brothers to serve together
41. Island Hopping-
-strategy used by the U.S. to clear Pacific area of Japanese
-very costly in lives as each island required a small D-Day style landing and invasion
42. Kamikazes-
-”divine winds”
-suicide pilots who purposely crashed their planes into American ships
-first battle in which Japan used this tactic
43. Battle of Iwo Jima-
-Japans key defense of the country
-US bombed island for 74 days
-US troops found heavy resistance when landing on the island
-25.000 US casualties, one of the costliest battles in US history
-famous statue of raising the flag on Mt. Surabachi
44. Albert Einstein-
-German born physicist who developed the theory of atomic weapons
-became an American citizen in 1940 after Nazis began practicing ethnic inequality in Germany
-fearing the Nazis were close to developing the first nuclear weapon, he sent a letter to Roosevelt advising him of nuclear weapons
45. Manhattan Project-
-secret project began by Roosevelt after receiving a letter from Albert Einstein
-project’s goal was to create an atomic bomb before other nations
-bomb was tested in and proven successful in New Mexico
46. Harry S. Truman-
-became President at a critical time when Franklin D. Roosevelt died at the end of World War II
-made one of the most difficult decisions ever in history, whether to use the atomic bomb against Japan to
end World War II
-led the democratic nations during the early days of the Cold War with the Soviet Union and communist
countries
-led the United Nations against communists during the Korean War
47. Enola Gay-
-B-29 bomber redesigned to carry one bomb
-Colonel Paul W. Tibbets was pilot and commander
-”Little Boy” exploded with the force of 20,000 tons of TNT
48. Hiroshima-
-expecting that an invasion of Japan would be costly in number of lives the decision was made to drop the bomb
-US already suffered huge casualties at Iwo Jima and Okinawa
-August 6, 1945
-blast was so strong that 90% of the cities buildings were destroyed and 80-100,000 people were killed
49. Nagasaki-
-August 9, 1945 second atomic bomb dropped on this industrial city
-”Fat Man” also exploded with 20,000 tons of TNT
-Japan surrenders three days later
50. V-J Day-
-September 2, 1945, victory in Japan day
-Japanese officials meed Douglas MacArthur on the deck of the USS Missouri to sign the official surrender treaty in Tokyo Bay
The Social Impact (pp. 623-629)
51. Fair Employment Practices Committee-
-African-Americans and other minorities were excluded from work in the war time factories
-A. Philip Randolph promised a march on Washington to protest
-Roosevelt tried to talk him out of it but was could not
-Roosevelt agreed to create the FEPC to train and hire minorities
52. Congress of Racial Equality-
-group established in Chicago to organize nonviolent resistance to racism in America
-group expanded after successful protests at discriminatory public places
53. Zoot Suit Riots-
-zoot suits had long, draped jackets and baggy pants with tight cuffs
-worn by trendy Mexican-Americans
-many returning soldiers were critical of the people wearing zoot suits
-riots and fights between the zoot suit wearers and the soldiers began in Los Angeles
54. Japanese Internment Camps-
-after bombing of Pearl Harbor, many Japanese Americans were the target of discrimination
-Executive Order 9066, signed by Roosevelt set up camps where “aliens” would kept during the war
-the War Relocation Authority was created to relocate Japanese Americans
-most lost everything in the relocation and had to start over when the war ended
55. Nisei-
-citizens born in the United States to Japanese immigrant parents
-many were taken away to internment camps
-to show their patriotism to the U.S., many volunteered to fight in the war
56. Rosie the Riveter-
-referred to women who took over the factory jobs left by men who were fighting in the war
-most were paid wages lower than the men when they were working
-most were expected to go back to being housewives once the war was over
57. All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League-
-female baseball league established in the midwest during World War II
-minor league baseball teams began to fold because of a lack of players
-league was very successful until war was over and men returned