1941: A Year Full of Bloodshed and Shifts
The year 1941 (according to President Roosevelt) encompasses the “Day that will live in infamy” and will never be forgotten. However, the historical facets of 1941 cannot be entirely focused on that one day due to other uniquely significant topics. During the year 1941, the United States endured several major events, saw a shift in popular occupations, obtained specific roles and customs, and experienced a dramatic time period within politics.
As 1941 drew to an end, a major event drastically shaped American history, along with the world’s history: Pearl Harbor. The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 (an early Sunday morning). This attack incorporated …show more content…
Throughout the beginning of the year, prior to declaring war, “...more than two-thirds of manufacturing employment was concentrated in industries involving textiles, apparel, food processing, lumber, and furniture” (Lewis 4). The United States’ southern economy was primarily focused on factories that produced materials for everyday living, such as household items. In spite of this, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the entire economy was disrupted. The federal government initiated an investment of billions of dollars into manufacturing for World War II. This “federal investment in [the] manufacturing plant during the war” (Lewis 1) led to divergent job occupations and a decrease in the unemployment rate. Despite the factories being primarily focused on war manufacturing and acquiring more employees, there were still thousands of Americans who were jobless. Several hundreds of these men decided to join the army in order to provide a sustainable life for themselves and their families. Regardless of the growing economy throughout America, the southern economy “continued to be tied to nondurable production” (Lewis 12). As the United States (as a whole) experienced economic growth, the south continued to use traditional means of production; thus, these means deterred the amount of production for war. Employees were validated as useless …show more content…
In a time of poverty and chaos, Franklin D. Roosevelt passed “The Nationality Act [which] clarified the status of Mexicans and others of Amerindian heritage… [and] greatly expanded the existing anti-radical provisions” (Daniels 2). The Nationality Act prevented the naturalization of immigrants who did not support the United States government or the legislation they passed. This act- imposed in order to help the United States during World War II- aided the country out of deficit. President Roosevelt, in like manner, “issued an executive order creating the War Refugee Board” (Daniels 3) in order to rescue refugees that were in danger during the war. While this order may not have been exactly successful, President Roosevelt proved his empathy with those fighting in the war by making political steps to secure the safety of Americans. Towards the end of 1941, on December 8, “FDR referred to December 7 as ‘a date which will live in infamy’” (“Japan Launches a Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor: Dec 7, 1941” 4) . This political response lead to the inevitable entrance of the United States into World War II. Roosevelt declared that the United States would fight on the side of the Allies and never forget the Japanese attack on Pearl
The year 1941 (according to President Roosevelt) encompasses the “Day that will live in infamy” and will never be forgotten. However, the historical facets of 1941 cannot be entirely focused on that one day due to other uniquely significant topics. During the year 1941, the United States endured several major events, saw a shift in popular occupations, obtained specific roles and customs, and experienced a dramatic time period within politics.
As 1941 drew to an end, a major event drastically shaped American history, along with the world’s history: Pearl Harbor. The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 (an early Sunday morning). This attack incorporated …show more content…
Throughout the beginning of the year, prior to declaring war, “...more than two-thirds of manufacturing employment was concentrated in industries involving textiles, apparel, food processing, lumber, and furniture” (Lewis 4). The United States’ southern economy was primarily focused on factories that produced materials for everyday living, such as household items. In spite of this, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the entire economy was disrupted. The federal government initiated an investment of billions of dollars into manufacturing for World War II. This “federal investment in [the] manufacturing plant during the war” (Lewis 1) led to divergent job occupations and a decrease in the unemployment rate. Despite the factories being primarily focused on war manufacturing and acquiring more employees, there were still thousands of Americans who were jobless. Several hundreds of these men decided to join the army in order to provide a sustainable life for themselves and their families. Regardless of the growing economy throughout America, the southern economy “continued to be tied to nondurable production” (Lewis 12). As the United States (as a whole) experienced economic growth, the south continued to use traditional means of production; thus, these means deterred the amount of production for war. Employees were validated as useless …show more content…
In a time of poverty and chaos, Franklin D. Roosevelt passed “The Nationality Act [which] clarified the status of Mexicans and others of Amerindian heritage… [and] greatly expanded the existing anti-radical provisions” (Daniels 2). The Nationality Act prevented the naturalization of immigrants who did not support the United States government or the legislation they passed. This act- imposed in order to help the United States during World War II- aided the country out of deficit. President Roosevelt, in like manner, “issued an executive order creating the War Refugee Board” (Daniels 3) in order to rescue refugees that were in danger during the war. While this order may not have been exactly successful, President Roosevelt proved his empathy with those fighting in the war by making political steps to secure the safety of Americans. Towards the end of 1941, on December 8, “FDR referred to December 7 as ‘a date which will live in infamy’” (“Japan Launches a Surprise Attack on Pearl Harbor: Dec 7, 1941” 4) . This political response lead to the inevitable entrance of the United States into World War II. Roosevelt declared that the United States would fight on the side of the Allies and never forget the Japanese attack on Pearl