Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Barrage The nation taps into the vast manufacturing reserves that have
Catalyst been idle for ten years: factories, electrical plants, railroads. The war
Infinite gives jobs to seven million unemployed – many of them women,
Infrastructure nicknamed “Rosie the Riveters.” By 1944, the U.S. is producing 40%
Mobilize of the world’s armaments. The might of America’s strategy and
Munitions supplies turns the tide of war. The U.S. Air Force launches pioneering
Oscilloscope daylight bombing raids over occupied Europe in B-17 bombers.
Prosthetic Under the command of General Dwight Eisenhower, D-Day is an
astonishing success.
2. W
hy was the invention of penicillin so important in the context of WWII? What
were some other advances in medicine that were important during the war?
3. H
ow were women affected by WWII? Do you think the war advanced the rights
of women?
4. D
uring WWII, the American armed forces were still segregated by race. Why do
you think this issue became increasingly important during this era, leading to the
desegregation of the Armed Forces a few years after the war?
5. What were some of the arguments for and against using the atomic bomb?
6. O
verall, what were the consequences of WWII for the United States? How
was the U.S. changed by the war?
Veteran
m er ic an W orld War II
of a Japanese-A
Recollections
mericans
ya lt y: th at th ey were loyal A
On lo
mericans had
to prove the enemy in
“Japanese-A fi gh t. One against the
Further Explorations:
ey h ad tw o battl es to
ai ns t ra c ia l prejudice in
because th the other ag
Pacific, and
What else was going on during this time period?
p e an d th e
Euro
Explore the sites below to learn more about the era
s…”
United State
of U.S. history covered in this episode.
attack
ar b o r: o f m y p arents would An overview of World War II, with video clips
On Pearl H unt ry rm and
ause the co I’m in unifo
www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii
ry b ad ly b ec ic an c it iz en . uld
“I felt ve . H er e I’m an Amer ke th at and how wo
ta te s in g li
the United S they do a th concern…”
Extensive information and links about the
why would that was my
Holocaust
t w o nd er ed th e A rm y,
I jus mrades in
www.ushmm.org/
iends, my co
I face my fr
oted
r being upro
Learn about Mexican American immigration and
rm en t c am p: lo w af te
te as
On the in ation camp w f the desert.
the Bracero Program
m th e c am p – that was , an o ri gi na l documenta and families to learn more about the past. Explore
fro Memorial
rld War II
these historic sites, or look for local historic sites in
National Wo your town or city to visit.
nel, 1999.)
History Chan National World War II Museum
www.ddaymuseum.org
1. W
hat do you think were some of the reasons Ichiuji wanted to U.S.S. Arizona Memorial
www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm
serve in the Army despite the prejudice he might have faced?
2. W
hy do you think Japanese Americans were interned in
camps during WWII? The U.S. government later apologized to
Japanese Americans for these actions. Do you think a similar
situation could happen in our world today? Discuss.