War in the Pacific

Tension on the western coast between Japan and United States had been building since the start of the war. The tension erupted when the Japanese initiated a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. One of the primary reasons behind the surprise attack was the hopes of crippling the U.S navy; this would leave the Pacific Ocean completely under Japan domination. However, the majority of submarines were unscathed. Also coincidently, U.S aircraft carriers were out at sea. As a result, the U.S was setback, but still commanded a formidable navy.

Six months after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese empire had expanded like a wild fire. The Japanese empire now consisted not only of Japan, but also Hong Kong, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, Dutch East Indies, Guam, Wake Island, Solomon Islands, part of Alaska, and a large portion of China. At the Philippines, there was a stalemate between 80,000 Americans and Filipino troops and 200,000 Japanese invading troops. After four months of brutal fighting, the Allied force had been cornered at Bataan Peninsula. On March 11, 1942, under President Roosevelt's orders, Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines.

The outlook had begun to change in spring 1942. Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle, along with 16 bombers, led a risky attack on April 18 to raid Japanese cities. The success of the attack boosted America's morale. In May 1942, American and Australian troops halted the Japanese advance on Australia in a five-day battle later called Battle of the Coral Sea. Only aircraft participated in this battle; no surface ships fired any shots. Japan then redirected its thrust toward Midway, an island north-west of Hawaii. However, the Americans had broken the Japanese code and mounted a defense at Midway. Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was defending the island, sent out scout planes who on June 3, 1942 located the Japanese fleet. Nimitz quickly sent torpedo planes and dive bombers. This surprise attack ambushed the Japanese; their planes had not lifted off the decks of their carriers. As a consequence, the Japanese navy was crippled. They had lost four aircraft carriers, a cruiser and 250 planes.

Soon after the Battle of Midway, Allies began to liberate island after island, “island hopping”. The first Japanese defeat on land was at Guadacanal in the Solomon Islands. The Allies continued leap frogging and in October 1944, around 178,000 Allied troops escorted by 738 ships headed toward the Philippines. The Japanese began to use a new tactic, the kamikaze, at Leyte, Philippines. Despite the effectiveness of the kamikaze, the losses at Leyte eviscerated the Japanese navy. They had lost 3 battle ships, 4 air carriers, 13 cruisers, and almost 500 planes. From then on, the navy only played a minor role in the defense of Japan.

The Allies now focused on retaking a large portion of the Philippines and took heavy casualties on Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was an island that was close enough to Japan that heavy bombers could refuel and load up armament. Okinawa was the last major obstacle that prevented the Allies from attacking Japan. At Okinawa there were huge casualties on both sides. However, the casualties on the Japanese side were staggering.

Knowing that a land invasion would possibly decimate both nations, President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb, named Little Boy, over Hiroshima. When the Japanese leaders still refused to surrender, another atomic bomb, named Fat Man, was dropped on Nagasaki. The Emperor Hirohinto promptly requested that the Japanese officials surrender to the U.S.

By: Eric and Johnny

Rebuilding After WWII

In February 1945, for 8 days, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met at the Black Sea resort city of Yalta, in the Soviet Union. Roosevelt managed to convince Churchill to agree to seperating Germany into 4 zones; American, British, Soviet, and French. Stalin also promised "free and unfettered elections," and agreed with joining the war against Japan. He also agreed to participate in the international conference in April at San Francisco, forming the United Nations.
Meanwhile in Germany, the Nuremberg trials were happening, arresting or sentencing deaths to Nazis. Hitler's most trusted party officials, government ministers, military leaders, and powerful industrialists were put on trail, sentencing 12 out of the 24 to death. Two hundred Nazi's were found guilty later on, but many others did go free. Many non-Germans argue that the trials were too easy on the defendents.
Trials were also happening for the Japanese, causing the execution of Prime Minster Tojo. In 1945-1952, General MacArthur in Japan, introduced free-market practices, as well as a constitution for woman suffrage and basic freedoms for citizens known as the MacArthur Constitution.
In the US, 1978, the Japanese American Citizens League got Reagan to sign a bill giving $20,000 to every Japanese-American that was sent to a relocation camp during the war.
Meanwhile, Stalin began installing satellite nations, dominating Eastern European countries. Kennan, an American diplomat, proposed a policy of containment, preventing communist rule. Secretary of State, George Marshall also introduced the Marshall Plan, attempting to help the millions of people in Western Europe that were living in refugee camps.

The Atom Ends the War

Research on Uranium began in 1941when Roosevelt received news that Germany had succeeded in splitting a Uranium atom and releasing an enormous amount of energy. In response, Roosevelt created the Office of Scientific Research and Development, which mobilized scientists to spur improvements in new technology, including research done by scientists on the Advisory Committee on Uranium.

Led by General Leslie Groves and directed by scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the building of the atom bomb was called the Manhattan Project because much early research was done at Columbia University, Manhattan. The intense plan was established in 1942, aiming to build an atomic bomb as quickly as possible. The Manhattan Project stands as the most ambitious war investment as well as the best kept secret of war in history.

After the first successful test in a desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945, Truman did not hesitate to use the new weapon of war against Japan. The biggest reason why the US dropped the bombs is that it was supposed to cost less lives than a land invasion. From the casualties from the taking of Okinawa, it was predicted that a land invasion of mainland Japan would result in massive loss of lives. As a result, Truman ordered the dropping of the atom bomb code-named Little Boy on Japanese military center Hiroshima on August 6, 1945; the explosion leveled the entire city. When Japan still hesitated to surrender, Truman proceeded to drop "Fat Man" on Nagasaki three days later, completely destroying half the city. Deaths from the blast and radiation numbered around 200,000, finally convincing Emperor Hirohito to surrender and end the war.

Steve Zhou and Shteve Zhou

The Battle of the Atlantic and the North African Front

In 1942 after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hitler did not hesitate to launch another attack on the Allies. He ordered submarine raids on ships along the Eastern Atlantic coast with the goal of preventing transportation of food and war supplies to Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The reasoning behind his plan lied within Great Britain's dependance upon the sea for transportation of goods. Hitler's ultimate goal was to starve Great Britain into submission, thus gaining another victory to support his plan for revenge from World War I. In the first four months of 1942, German fleets sank 87 Allied ships, and three months after, a total of 681 Allied ships had been destroyed. 

In order to prevent further defeat, Allies responded by organizing their cargo ships into convoys. These convoys were groups of cargo ships that traveled together and provided mutual protection, which was a tactic that was also used in World War I. The convoys were escorted with many layers of protection. They were followed by destroyers with sonars to detect German submarines. Also, they were covered in the air by planes with radars in order to spot German U-boats on the ocean surface. Eventually, Allies were able to find and destroy U-boats faster than Germany could produce them. Finally, in 1943, Admiral Karl Orenitz issued a statement that Germany's losses had "reached an unbearable height." As a result, the United States launched a ship building program in early 1943. Approximately 140 liberty ships were produced each month, and the amount of ships produced outnumbered the number of sunken ships. By the mid 1943s, the tide turned and the Allies were at an advantage. 

Towards the end of the year of 1942, Stalin pushed the Allies to invade Western Europe, but Churchill and Roosevelt felt that they weren't strong enough, so they launched Operation Torch: an invasion of Axis-controlled North Africa instead.

In November, 1942, 107,000 Allied troops commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower landed in North Africa.  The troops pushed the Afrika Korps, led by General Erwin  Rommel (Desert Fox) eastward in continuous, bloody battle. The Afrika Korps finally surrendered in May 1943. British general Harold Alexander sent a message to Chuchill saying, "All enemy resistance has ceased. We are masters of the North African shores."

-Amelia Wong and Polly Cho

Women in the U.S Military

The first time that women officially served in the U.S. army was during World War 1, but in that period they were not given full benefits an only non-combat positions. 

When the USA entered World War 2 the U.S military needed more people to fight for them so the Army Chief of Staff General George Marshall pushed for the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC).

The bill met a lot of opposition and outrage, but it was finally passed by the Congress on May 15, 1942, instituting the Women Auxiliary Army Corps. 

Though the WAAC, women could enter the military, they were only allowed to have non-combat positions, in particular as nurser and ambulance drivers, but also as radio operators, pilots and electricians.

Despite this amount of duty, women did not still given full U.S Army benefits.

This situation changed in July 1943, when after many women enlisted in the army, the WAAC was renamed to WAC, and women's auxiliary status was dropped: women finally received the same benefits as the men who joined the Army.

A big contribution to WAAC's programs was given by Ms. Oveta Culp Hobby, a Texan newspaper director and also first director of the Women Auxiliary Army Corps.

By publishing insertions on her newspaper, she called for volunteers to join WAAC, obtaining a big success: the first day she called for recruits, about 13.000 women responded positively.

Since that day, women divisions of the U.S. army have given a big contribution to the country: in 1978, the male and female forces were joint together and in 2001, about 200.000 women served in the army.

This is a very important story, because at first, is an important proof of how women supported and still support their country and at second, its very important how this struggle was recognized by the Government and helped women to have more freedom, also in defending their country.

Rebuidling after WWII

In February 1945, the big three, Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill met at the Yalta Conference. They discussed the fate of Germany and the postwar world for eight days. Stalin thought that Germany should be occupied by Allies military forces because he thought a harsh punishment would serve the Germans right. Churchill disagreed. Roosevelt tried to convince Stalin in a more approachable way and hoped Stalin would help Roosevelt to finish the war against Japan and support the world peace-keeping, United Nations. Stalin promised to "free and unfettered elections" in Poland and agreed to join the war against Japan on August 8, 1945. The big three also decided as a result to divide Germany into four zones, one each for America, Britain, Soviet, and the French.
The Nuremberg Trial also occurred in Germany; Twelve out of twenty-four Nazi leaders were sentenced to death, the others were sent to prison. However, more than 200 lesser Nazi leaders who took part in the Holocaust were set free.
Later on, Japan was occupied by General Douglas MacArthur and the United States force. They arrested and put more than 1,100 Japanese from the former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo to lowly prison guards on trial. In the process, MacArthur helped reshape Japan’s economy from setting free-market examples that led to an extraordinary economic recovery, which is now also known as the MacArthur Constitution.

Japanese American Discrimination

The attack on Pearl Harbor sparked nationwide prejudice towards Japanese American's in the US. The fear of another attack caused the War Department to issue the mass evacuation of all Japanese American's in Hawaii. Being that 37% of the population of Hawaii were Japanese Americans, Hawaii resisted the order. However, not before relocating 1444 Japanese American personals. Still Japanese American prejudice was still rampant in the mainland, especially the west coast. By February 19, 1942, rumors and fears eventually led President Roosevelt to order a nationwide internment of Japanese Americans in the states of CA, WA, OR, and AR. The Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. US case in 1944, protesting against the Japanese American confinement, was won by the US stating that is was a "military necessity." The Japanese eventually received  20,000 dollars for each individual for lost property in World War two.

The Battle of the Pacific and the Atomic Bomb

The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the final straw for United States neutrality in World War II. After December 7, 1941, Congress declared war on the Axis powers. The battles took place in three locales, including the Pacific and Europe. On deserted Pacific islands, U.S. Marines witnessed some of the bloodiest fighting known to man. One such battle was that of the Solomon Islands, August 21, 1945, in which the Allies suffered over 7,100 fatalities and lost 29 ships and over 600 aircraft. These tremendous losses were nothing compared to immense destruction wrought upon the Empire of Japan. With over 31,000 dead and about 700 aircraft destroyed during this battle, the Japanese army seemed on the verge of surrender.
Further American casualties in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, 6,000 and 7,600 respectively, bring up the question of whether island hopping was the best military strategy for the war in the Pacific. Recent speculation concerning the Manhattan Project and the testing of the Atomic Bomb create the moral dilemma between losing American lives or inflicting massive losses to the Japanese people. Which is the moral choice? That decision is left to President Truman to decide.

Kevin and Alex

The Atomic Bomb Ends The War

The Atomic Bomb Ends the War

On April 1st 1945, the Allies invaded the Okinawa, a Japanese island, and their victory left heavy losses on both sides and proved that Japan could not win the war. On April 12, President Roosevelt died in Warm Springs, Georgia and vice president Harry Truman became nation’s 33rd president. After the Nazis surrender, the only enemy left was Japan. President Truman saw only one way to avoid an invasion from Japan. He decided to drop an atomic bomb; it was the best-kept secret of the war that President Roosevelt decided to create it as a last choice to end the war. Its first testing was on July 16, 1945 in the desert near Alamogordo, New Mexico. It gave off a binding flash which was visible 180 miles away, the bomb worked! Truman ordered another bomb to be created and when he left for Potsdam to meet with Churchill and Stalin, left instructions that the bomb was not to be used against Japan until after the Allies had agreed on and issued a declaration. The Potsdam Declaration of July 26, issued by the Allied powers and calling for "unconditional surrender," was not acceptable to the Japanese military, despite the declaration's threat that failure to surrender would be met by "complete destruction" of the military and the "utter devastation of the Japanese home land." Following ten days of Japanese silence, the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, on the city of Hiroshima. Almost the entire city was destroyed but Japanese leaders still refused to surrender. Truman ordered the dropping of yet another bomb over Nagasaki, three days later, half of the city was completely destroyed. Finally, on September 2nd, Emperor Hirohito agreed to surrender and ended the war. By the end of the year, and estimated 200,000 people had died and both cities were left in ruins.

By Madeleine and Rafael

Rebuilding After WW2

In February 1945, for 8 days, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met at the Black Sea resort city of Yalta, in the Soviet Union. Roosevelt managed to convince Churchill to agree separating Germany into 4 zones; American, British, Soviet, and French. Stalin also promised "free and unfettered elections," and agreed with joining the war against Japan. He also agreed to participate in the international conference in April at San Francisco, forming the United Nations.

Meanwhile in Germany, the Nuremberg trials were happening, arresting or sentencing deaths to Nazis. Hitler's most trusted party officials, government ministers, military leaders, and powerful industrialists were put in, sentencing 12 out of 24 to death. 200 more Nazi's were found guilty later on, but many others did go free. Many argue that the trials were too easy on some of the defendants. 

Trials were also happening for the Japanese, causing the execution of Prime Minister Tojo. MacArthur, in Japan, introduced free-market practices, as well as a constitution for woman suffrage and and basic freedoms for citizens known as the MacArthur constitution. 

In the US, the Japanese American Citizens League got Reagan to sign a bill, giving $20,000 to every Japanese-American that was sent to a relocation camp during the war.

The Allies Liberate Europe

American General Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded the Operation Overlord, a land-sea-air invasion, to liberate Europe from the Axis Powers. On June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, Eisenhower ordered the Allied soldiers to bombard the German lines located at Calais, France. In order to allow General George Patton and his Third Army to enter and free France, General Omar Bradley attacked the Germans at St. Lo, creating an opening in the German defense. Due to the Allies' victory in liberating France, Belgium and Luxemburg, the Americans elected Franklin D. Roosevelt for his fourth term in November 1944. In an attempt to break through the Allies' supply line, Hitler ordered eight tanks to attack the American line of defense, resulting in the Battle of the Bulge. After one month of fighting, the battle caused the Germans to lose 120,000 troops, 600 tanks and assault guns and 1600 planes, debilitating the Germans. Although S.S Guards attempted to dispose all evidence of the mass murder at concentration camps, Soviet troops found and liberated Majdonek, the world's largest creamatorium, in Poland. On April 25, 1945, the Soviet Army stormed Berlin, throwing the city into panic and chaos. A week after Hitler commited suicide, General Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of the Third Reich. On May 8, 1945, although the Allies celebrated the V-E day, Victory in Europe Day, President Roosevelt did not live to see the defeat of the Axis Powers.

Tamara and Jazreel
Period C

Introduction - U.S. History - Period C 2009

Welcome to the blog for United States History - period C - spring 2009.

Students will be posting information on a variety of topics from the period of the 1930's to 1980's. They are also required to make COMMENTS on FOUR (4) postings from the other two class period blogs.

Enjoy!

Ms. Sanderson
Teacher