World War II was the most devastating war in world history. The war resulted in horrific property damage as well as about 17 million military deaths and even more civilian deaths. The devastation of the war was mainly due to the advanced military weapons used, from the infantry on the front line to the ships in the sea and the planes in the sky, these weapons destroyed lives and property in nearly every part of the world. In 1939 the United States became involved in the war.
Introduction
As the “greatest generation” (Sledge 1990) fades, it is most significant to appreciate the important role they played in the shaping of our country today. Buried deep in the hearts and minds of every veteran are their many unforgettable memories.
From these memories veterans can reflect and realize what precious treasures they have gained as they endured the many experiences World War II has offered them. The efforts of these veterans will never be forgotten as the stories of these heroes are passed from generation to generation. To fully appreciate the sacrifices of these veterans, it is important to pay close attention to what knowledge they have to share.
We can learn from their mistakes or follow in their footsteps but either way we must take interest before it is too late. Without the help of these important veterans, our view of World War II might not be what it should have been. The same mistakes could just have easily been made and another world war could have surfaced. The American soldiers and veterans who had fought foreign wars formed together but most of the people preferred new Am vets.
The first convention of American veterans of World War II later who served the US military was held in Chicago in October 1945. Even the smaller groups of veterans formed together to support them mutually in organization such as American Veterans Committee (Schneider and Schneider 2003). To these heroes we owe every aspect of our life. These veterans came from all over the nation to defend and honor our country.
United States and the Japan in the World War II
The American said this war as the good war as the America entered World War II for good reasons. They had to defend their allies in the European continent. Friendly European nations were losing the battle against the Axis forces and needed the United States’ forces assistance (Sledge 1990).
The U.S. had the much needed military power the Allies needed to win. (Elson 1043) Since the European nations being attacked were allies and foreign trade partners, it was in the best interest of the United States to assist them. Many people felt it was the duty of the United States to travel overseas and defend them.
The U.S. had to prevent the war from reaching home. Attacks on U.S. soil would be very dangerous to the security of the nation. If the war reached North America, it surely would have meant the Axis would be victorious. This is one reason the U.S. entered the war when they did; they had to keep the war overseas. When there was an attack within U.S. borders, immediate action was taken.
On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, a military base in Hawaii. The results were devastating. 19 ships were sunk, 150 planes destroyed, 2403 were killed, and 1178 wounded. This attack threatened both the United State’s pride and security. Since “part of this government is based on pride, action had to be taken to defend the United States of America. Only one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, war was declared by the U.S. on Japan (Sloan 2007).
When the declaration of war was voted upon, the results were astonishing. In the Senate, the vote was a unanimous 82 yeas to 0 nays. The House of Representatives voted 388 yeas to 1 nay. The lone vote against the war was from pacifist Jeanette Rankin. It seemed everyone felt the same way toward the idea of war. The government was concerned for the nation’s defense.
Pearl Harbor was the point of no return. The United States was attacked, and now it had to join the war to protect itself. The event riled up the citizens to support their country. Many men joined the military to fight for their country. People in the U.S. never felt as safe as they had prior to the attack. Every ethnic Japanese citizen was seen as a hazard. Americans were fearful that all Japanese-Americans had the same feelings of support for Japan.
Americans became paranoid of the Japanese. Song requests on radio stations were banned from being played by the National Association of Broadcasters. They believed it may allow the Japanese to send coded messages. Weather reports were cancelled for fear enemy fliers would use them to plan bombing raids on American cities. Man-on-the-street interviews were stopped because of the possibility that a national secret might be revealed.
This fear of the Japanese race kept growing and affecting American life. The Japanese paranoia grew so great, a 1941 issue of Time even taught its subscribers how to distinguish between our Chinese friends and the hated Japs, who were, presumably, lurking around every corner. The differences were almost comical. The magazine said the Chinese were not as hairy and more kindly and open. On the other hand the Japanese were uncertain and panicky and “laughed out loud at the wrong time” (Yang 2003).
The government, fearing for national security, took steps to minimize, if not eliminate, the threat the Japanese could pose (Yang 2003). To deal with the problem of the Japanese Americans, the United States set up internment camps for the Japanese to be sent to. Persons with as little as 1/16 Japanese blood were told to go to internment camps (Sloan 2007).
The Japanese people that were sent to these camps were allowed to bring only a bedroll and what they could carry. The internment camps were not nice places to be. They were surrounded with barbed wire and armed guards. The internees were sent to the camps only because of their ethnicity; they did not commit any crimes.
The most controversial part of the internment included American-born children and youth who had both U.S. and Japanese citizenship. Nevertheless, they were sent to the internment camps just in case. The United States could make no exceptions to their policy on the grounds that they could be allowing the enemy to walk freely in their boundaries. Some of the internees were still loyal to the United States and wanted to fight for it.
Critical Analysis
There were many shortages of critical materials during World War II. Even so, civilian consumption rose about 22% during the war. Production on many civilian products sharply declined or stopped altogether. This decline in production of these products led to shortages. There were shortages of materials such as leather, metal, and rubber. To solve the problem of these shortages, many items were rationed (Sloan 2007).
The rationing of products occurred from 1942 through 1943. In 1942, coffee and gasoline were rationed. Shoes, meats, fats, and cheese were placed under rationing in 1943. A point-rationing system for processed foods was also introduced in 1943. 1944 marked the end of rationing with the end of meat rationing with the exception of various choice cuts of beef. In 1945, shoes, all meats, butter, and tires were no longer rationed.
During this period of rationing goods, coupons were needed to purchase these items (Dickson 2008). Schools set up rationing stations to distribute coupons. Every person, no matter their age, received the same type of coupons. To purchase an item, three things were needed: the store must have the item, the buyer needed the cash to buy the item, and the appropriate coupon had to be used for the item.
With these restrictions on purchasing products, black and grey market activity arose. Black market activity was the selling of ration coupons for a personal profit. Grey market activity was the trading of coupons among friends, family, or neighbors. Both were illegal (Elson 1945). This system of rationing was used until the end of World War II
After the war, the economy was on the rise. There was a boom in housing because of the easily affordable mortgages for the returning military veterans. From this growth in the economy came a growing middle class. People migrated from cities to suburbs and businesses were involved in consolidation phase.
By 1956, most people held white-collar jobs. Labor unions were able to gain long term employment contracts and associated benefits for their members. Farmers, though, were still facing hard times. Farming continued to decline for many years. Besides the economy, there were improvements to the United States elsewhere.
The military started allowing African Americans equal treatment. Nearly 500,000 African Americans had fought in World War II, most of which were confined to cheaper, segregated quarters. Despite their unequal treatment, the African Americans had fought well in the war and the military acknowledged that. The President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Service was established specifically to study this matter. The armed services would never treat African Americans differently again (Elson 1945).
After World War II, the United States had more respect as a world power than they ever had before. It made a great change in American societies. The people of America gained self-Confidence and believed what they were capable of, they had a victory as a nation and the individuals found themselves capable of doing what they can do (Schneider and Schneider 2003).
They were seen as a world power prior to 1945, but not like they were after the war. World War II was the first real time the United States chose to exert its true power. The U.S. has dominated the affairs of the world since 1945 (Dickson 2008). Since then, the United States has been considered one of, if not the most, powerful country in the world.
Bibliography
Dickson, Keith D. World War Two almanac. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008.
Elson, Henry W. History of the United States of America. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1945.
Schneider, Carl J., and Dorothy Schneider. World War II. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2003.
Sledge, E. B. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
Sloan, Bill. The Ultimate Battle: Okinawa 1945–The Last Epic Struggle of World War II. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.
Yang, Timothy M. The Malleable Yet Undying Natiure of the Yellow Peril. 2003. Web.