Answers to Questions Regarding WWII and Two Presidents of the US

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How did American involvement in World War II impact women and minorities? As the War begin, millions of factory jobs became vacant due to the need for soldiers in the military. A significant majority of American men went to fight in the war, which gave women and minorities an opportunity to fill the gap in labor. Mexican Americans and black Americans migrated from the South to Northern cities to fill manufacturing needs, while nearly 6 million women left their homes to work in the factories. Some black men even fought in the war, although they remained somewhat segregated from their white counterparts. Iconic figures like “Rosie the Riveter” and slogans such as the “Double V” encouraged women and minorities to take jobs to help the war effort, while also fighting for equality. Women now had a permanent place in the labor force, and many black soldiers gained the respect they deserved for fighting in the war. How did the nation’s participation in World War II impact the American economy in the short term? What about lasting economic impacts of the war? In the short term, the onset of war pulled the United States out of the Great Depression. Although Roosevelt’s New Deal programs did have some effect on the economy, in reality, they did not solve the Great Depression. The immediate demand for labor in the factories, however, put millions of previously unemployed Americans to work. Now that Americans were earning a wage, they could re-invest their earnings into the economy in the form of consumer spending. Entering the war also had many long-term economic impacts. After the war, many Americans had more money saved, and consequently, wanted to spend the money on material goods. This new demand for consumer goods dramatically chan... ... middle of paper ... ...th him running for a fourth term. For one, this was the first time in US history that a president served more than two terms, let alone three. This particular issue was a bit of a non-issue, however, because he had already broken the precedent with his third term, so his fourth term wasn’t necessarily ground-breaking. There was another problem, though: his age. It was no secret that Roosevelt was getting old, and the added stress of the war meant that he may not have been able to serve effectively for the entirety of his fourth term. This put an added importance on his Vice President, Harry Truman. Truman was nominated with Roosevelt’s blessing after gaining national attention for serving on a congressional committee that investigated wasteful war expenditures. Only a few months into Roosevelt’s fourth term, he died, and Truman took the role of President.

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