Can you fight a war by ___? Reporters had never seen anything like ____. Inside the giant structure, a person could scarcely see from end to end. "Like infinity," noted an observer, "it stretches everywhere into the distance."
The building these people we
assembly line
Willow Run
Henry Ford
airplanes
industrial
Axis
It took time for ____ to get up to speed. Finding tens of thousands of employees was difficult. Lack of housing was another issue. Over time, however, Ford and the government resolved these problems. Willow Run and its 42,000 workers kicked into high-spee
Willow Run
industry
World War II
The Japanese bombs and torpedoes that fell on Pearl Harbor had destroyed not only ships and planes, but also most of the remaining ____ feeling in the United States. Now that the country had entered the war, it had to ____, or bring its forces into readin
isolationist
mobilize
Fortunately, the United States had made something of a head start. Starting in 1940 the government had sharply increased ___ spending. This spending, in fact, was largely responsible for ending the ___. Thousands found work in the now-busy factories, maki
military
Great Depression
George C. Marshall
military strategy
In addition to equipment and supplies, the United States needed soldiers and sailors to fight the ___ Powers. Following ___, the government expanded the ___, which Roosevelt had reinstated in 1940. Many young men, however, did not wait to be called into s
Axis
Pearl Harbor
draft
volunteered
Eventually, some ___ million Americans would enter the armed forces.
16
Although they were not permitted to take part in combat, American ___ filled a variety of vital roles in the military. Their service helped make more men available for fighting. For example, 10,000 women joined the __________, or WAVES. This was a ___ pro
women
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service
navy
Some 1,000 women joined the _____, or WASPs. They tested and delivered aircraft. Nearly 40 WASPs gave their lives serving the country.
By far the largest women's unit was the _____, or WAC, in which 150,000 women served. At the start of the war, the unit
Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women's Army Corps
Women's Army Auxiliary Corps
part
equipment
By 1943 demand for their services was so great that the army created the _________. WACs were full-fledged members of the army. As such, they were entitled to full army protection and benefits and could serve overseas on nearly every task except combat. T
Women's Army Corp
Oveta Culp Hobby
colonel
The millions of Americans entering the armed forces all needed ___ and housing. This required building hundreds of new military bases.
In general, the military looked to build new ___ in rural areas where there was plenty of open land. Life on a rural, is
training
bases
cities
The military buildup transformed many parts of the country. ___ became home to more military bases than any other state. ___, with its warm weather and plentiful land, was also an excellent location for military training. ____, with its 55,000 soldiers, b
California
Florida
Camp Blanding
Camp Hood
Randolph Air Field
prisoners of war
The enthusiasm of American fighting forces was important. In order to defeat the Axis armies, however, American troops would need the proper _____. The nation responded quickly to this need. Many factories that made consumer goods were quickly converted t
equipment
war supplies
The federal government spent tens of billions of dollars on weapons and supplies in the months following the outbreak of war. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt set the ambitious goal of building 60,000 new ___ in 1942 and a further 125,000 aircraft th
planes
tanks
Henry Ford
Willow Run
overseas
___ships, however, were a main target of enemy ____. Early in the war, submarines took a terrible toll on American shipping. To replace these losses, American ____ turned out 5,500 vessels over the course of the war.
About half of these ships were the so-
Cargo
submarines
shipyards
liberty ships
Henry Kaiser
Hoover Dam.
cargo ships
The federal government created several new agencies to help ensure that American industry would be able to meet the needs of the armed forces. These agencies regulated what products factories produced, what prices they could charge, and how the nation's r
William Knudsen and Sidney Hillman
Office of Production Management
Donald Nelson
War Production Board
Producing enough supplies to fight the war required many workers. At the same time, American men were leaving their ___ jobs by the millions to join the ____ forces.
____ helped provide a solution to this problem. During the war, the number of women worki
factory
armed
Women
industrial
industrial
I was a woman doing a 'man's job'!" recalled one of these women workers. "I was also very proud of the fact that I was contributing, even in a small way, to the war efforts." Working women of the war came to be represented by the symbolic figure known as
Rosie the Riveter
Government spending during World War II helped end the _____ and created millions of new ____.
Great Depression
jobs
Many of these workers joined ____, but the federal government was concerned that ___ might hamper the war effort.
Just weeks after the nation declared war on Japan, President Roosevelt established the ______ to help settle labor disputes. In 1943 Congress
labor unions
strikes
National War Labor Board
Smith-Connally Act
War planners knew that ____ would play an important role in World War II. The ______, with laboratories in ____, was the most significant scientific program of World War II. This was a top-secret American program to build an ____, a powerful weapon that u
technology
Manhattan Project
Los Alamos, New Mexico,
atomic bomb
atoms
Research into building an atomic bomb had begun in 1939, motivated by concern that ___ was already working on such a weapon. As you will read later, American scientists led by physicist _____ would win this race. The result would shape world history for d
Germany
J. Robert Oppenheimer
As in World War I, the United States faced the challenge of fighting for freedom ___. The nation also faced the challenge of ensuring freedom for Americans at ___.
overseas
home
Hundreds of thousands of _______ served with honor during World War II. In the process, they broke down barriers that had long blocked their way. For example, the war saw the enlistment of the first African American ____ in U.S. history. The ___ commissio
African Americans
marines
navy
At the same time, African Americans continued to suffer discrimination. They were forced to serve in ___ units. Their bravery often went unrecognized. Not a single African American soldier of World War II received the prestigious ____. This oversight was
segregated
Medal of Honor
The war created an enormous demand for ____ workers. White ___ took many of these jobs. ____ Americans found new opportunities as well.
factory
women
African
As factories increased war production, thousands found jobs that had in the past been unavailable to them. Yet even with these new opportunities came harsh reminders of widespread racist attitudes. For example, African Americans were often forced to take
lowest
Union leader ______, head of the ________________________, noted these developments. In 1941 he called for a march on ____, to protest unfair treatment of _____. Only after President Roosevelt issued an order outlawing ____ in government or defense jobs d
A. Philip Randolph
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Washington, D.C.
African Americans
discrimination
____ Americans experienced opportunities and challenges during World War II. For example, the demand for ___ labor led the U.S. and Mexican governments to establish the ______ in 1942. This gave some ___ workers the chance to work temporarily in the Unite
Hispanic
farm
Bracero Program
Mexican
In some communities, unfortunately, the arrival of thousands of ___ workers led to increased ethnic tensions. In California, such tensions boiled over into violence. In the _____ of June 1943, white sailors stationed in ____ fought with groups of Mexican
Hispanic
zoot suit riots
Los Angeles
Mexican
Hispanic
loyal
Like members of other minority groups, many Hispanic Americans served bravely in the ___ forces. They also shared a strong commitment to victory and freedom.
armed