Geography 417
California for Educators
World War
II and the late 20th Century
Standards
•
Discuss the
effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II on California.
Some web links:
•
A couple from the
Butte County/California Dept. of Education collaborative effort.
•
One from the California Military Museum
•
From the San
Francisco Museum – regarding internment.
World War II in California
•
World War II is
probably the biggest event in California’s history outside of the Gold Rush.
•
The state begins
the war as largely an agricultural province somewhat outside of the mainstream
of the American economy and cultural life.
•
By the end of the
war, the foundation was solidly laid, putting the state on its course toward
becoming what it is today.
World War II
•
The war begins in
1937 in China and not long afterward in Europe.
•
Americans were
largely isolationist and suffering through the Depression.
•
December 7th,
1941…a day that will live in Infamy.
•
Total War.
•
California was
defended by only 16 modern warplanes, and many feared an attack.
•
Many others were
in full panic mode, fearing the same battle group that launched against Hawaii
would steam to California …technology?
The Battle of Los Angeles
•
Feb 24-25, 1942
•
Unidentified
flying objects touched off a blackout and mass reportings of incoming aircraft.
•
1,440 rounds of
anti-aircraft ammunition unleashed against non-existant foes.
•
Crazed and
inaccurate reporting.
•
May have been one
to five planes, but have never been identified, perhaps a weather balloon.
•
The only damage
was self-inflicted.
•
Exposed the
defenselessness of the West Coast.
Invasion Hysteria (fig)
Searchlights and AA Fire (fig)
The real “attack” on California
• The Japanese did have some plans to attack California,
but never were able to carry out much of a plan.
• There were minor bombings and submarine launched
attacks, but nothing of much consequence.
• The most serious potential were the balloon bombers
that dropped some bombs mostly on Northern California, but the news of their
activity was largely censored, especially since the main purpose was to create
fear.
Los Angeles and the War
•
L.A. grew faster
than any other major metropolitan area in the U.S.
•
By 1943 the
population of metropolitan L.A. was larger than 37 states
•
The head start
given to the LA region by war industries fueled growth in subsequent decades
until about 1990.
•
San Fernando Valley
a major benefactor.
Other So Cal War Towns
•
Chino: Location of Cal Aero Academy, a
private flying academy contracted to provide pilots for the Army Air Forces.
•
Costa Mesa: Costa Mesa didn't exist during World War II. The city
incorporated in 1953 and in 1955 annexed the former Santa Ana Army Air Base,
which now comprises a major part of the town.
•
Downey: Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft plant
•
El Segundo: North American Aviation plant that built P-51
fighters, A-36 bombers and B-25 Bombers.
•
Fontana:
Kaiser Steel Co., financed and built by the wartime government agency known as
the Defense Plant Corporation (DPC). One of only two steel plants in the West
•
Glendale: pilots trained
•
Hawthorne: Northrop Aircraft Co built B-17 bombers.
•
Huntington
Beach: oil wells
•
Inglewood: North American Aviation plant
•
Irvine: El Toro Marine Corps Air Station
•
Long Beach and
San Pedro: the center of military
activity in the area.
• Riverside:
home of two major Army installations, March Field and Camp Haan.
• San Bernardino: Morrow Aircraft Corp and the Western Stove Co. which made incendiary
bombs and San Bernardino
Army Air Field.
• Santa Monica: Douglas
Aircraft Company.
• Southgate:
General Motors plant that built M-5 Light Tanks
Map of Military Bases, WWII
Hollywood and the War
•
Had largely been
confined to making a handful of enlistment films for the Army prior to the war.
•
Hastily arranged
“Motion Picture Unit” was formed when war began.
•
A specific skills
unit that allowed people from the industry to join the army as a film
specialist.
•
Many recruiting,
training and combat films created by folks who had been working in Hollywood.
•
A full mock up of
Japan created by folks skilled in model building, used to film realistic
simulations of bombing runs.
•
Various units
included a handful of “stars” including Ronald Reagan
•
Hollywood took an
active roll in the war propaganda as well….including cartoon figures.
Poster Art – Total War
Bugs Bunny
Bugs and Daffy
Filipinos in WWII
•
By 1941 there
were more than 100,000 Filipinos in the US, the Philippines were a US colony,
overrun by Japanese forces.
•
Ethnic American
military units were common, including a Filipino unit.
•
Thousands
volunteered in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, despite having suffered years of
ill-treatment in the US…but thanks to the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934 were
“aliens” and could not enlist.
•
In early 1942 the
law was changed…but not all…
•
Anti-miscegenation
laws prohibitted Filipinos (and other Asians) from marrying whites, so some
married Japanese women, some of whom were sent with their children to
concentration camps, while dads when to fight for the US.
•
Hawaiian
agricultural workers were forbade to join the Army, and were kept on Hawaii to
provide cheap labor on the sugar plantations.
•
Those over 38
years were also encouraged to return to civilian work force.
•
Before departing
for combat, many Filipino soliders wanted to get married, but if they had white
fiancees, they had to take a bus to New Mexico… “the honeymoon express”.
•
May 1942 Gallup
Poll showed support for the naturalization of Filipinos, the Filipino Naturalization
Bill was passed and many thousands did become citizens, some wished instead to
remain Philippine citizens.
Filipino Unit Insignia
•
figure
Service
•
The 1st Filipino
Battalion was formed on March 4, 1942 and activated in April 1 at Camp San Luis
Obispo, California, was an all-volunteer unit.
•
Other Filipinos
served in other “white” units, often in Europe.
Benefits?
•
Some officers
were whites, but some were Filipinos, often those who had gone East to obtain
professional education, because this was denied them on the West Coast.
•
Lt. Col. Leon
Punsalang, a West Point graduate, command of the 1st Battalion marking the first
time in that an Asian American commanded white troops in combat.
•
By early 1945,
this force was fighting in the Philippines, and very successfully until the war
ended.
•
Many took “war
brides” in the Philippines, where they were heroes, and returned to the US.
Japanese Internment
•
Much of the
wartime panic was directed toward the activities of Japanese and Japanese
Americans, who were rumored to be doing all sorts of evil things.
•
Feb. 1942, FDR
signs Executive Order 9066, essentially declaring much of the West a “military
zone”.
•
April, 1942 the
Western Defense Commander, ordered the Japanese on the West Coast into
concentration camps.
•
Were about ½
million potential internees.
•
Of the 120,000
ethnic Japanese eventually evacuated to the relocation camps, 80,000 came from
the L.A. area.
•
62% were Nisei
(Americans) others were Issei.
•
Some Germans and
Italians also taken away.
Poster (fig)
Terminal Island:
•
Martial law
declared here on December 8,1941.
•
Major U.S. Naval
base, major oil installations and a sizeable community of ethnic Japanese
fishermen.
•
Potential for
sabotage
•
No evidence ever
found suggested that Japanese here were spies or disloyal.
•
On February 1,
1942, the government did surprise sweep of all ethnically Japanese men and they
were shipped off to an internment camp in Nebraska.
•
Later reunited
with women and children when more ‘permanent’ camps were built.
Internment Center (fig)
•
Photo by Lange
(San Bruno, CA)
Manzanar Camp
Manzanar (fig) Ansel Adams
Nisei Soldiers
•
After the initial
panic died down, the government called for Japanese-Americans to volunteer for
the war.
•
The U.S. Army
called for 1,500 volunteers from Hawaii and 3,000 from the Mainland.
•
An overwhelming
10,000 men from Hawaii came forth.
•
Most were in
internment camps in the West, so they could not volunteer, still there were
over 1000, many of whom were inducted.
•
Fought with
impressive distinction in Italy, France, North Africa and had enormous casualty
rates.
•
442nd
and rescue of the “lost battalion”
•
Others served in
the Pacific Theater, largely as in intelligence and language roles.
•
All while many of
their families were interred.
Nisei Marching in France -1944
Reaction
•
Few in power
objected. Some legitimacy based on
intelligence that some Japanese could have been disloyal to the US.
•
Several supreme
court cases found that it was constitutional to deny the rights of entire
groups of people during war time, if disloyal persons among the group made it
impossible to sort out who was “the enemy”
•
Split decision in
the courts, with acerbic dissensions.
•
Wasn’t until the
Carter administration did some pathetic form of justice begin to redress the
ills, in the 1990s survivors got some
cash payments and an official apology from the government.
•
Most never
recovered that which they lost in 1942.
•
Impressed by the
dignity and pride with which the internees conducted themselves.
Total War
•
Keep in mind that
this was total war, so most every component of society was effected, but still
less in the US, than others.
•
Rationing, for
everyone…egalitarianism.
•
Conversion of
plants to wartime production.
•
Farmers exempt
from draft, some schools closed, POW’s used…also feeding England.
•
Labor strife at a
minimum, despite the extra work, poor conditions and the billions made by
industry that was not widely shared….conditions dramatically improve following
the war.
Industrialization
•
WWII ignited
California’s industrial economy and many thousands of people moved to
California to work in these industries, many never returning to their homes.
•
12 million in the
Armed Forces, many released or kept on reserve because production was more
important.
•
Mexicans, who
were encouraged (forced) to leave just years earlier, where encouraged to
return.
•
12% of all U.S.
Government war contracts were made to California.
•
17% of the war
materials made in California.
•
Oil production
doubled, synthetic rubber industry created, agricultural output nearly tripled.
•
More military
bases than any other state.
•
LA grew faster
than any other city in the country during the War.
Shipbuilding
•
Employment
rose from 4,000 to 260,000 in the war years.
•
Richmond alone
went from 20,000 to 100,000 population in those years.
•
Kaiser steel
founded in Fontana.
Rosie the Riveter
•
What changes
after the war?
United We Win (poster)
Civil Rights
•
The women’s
rights and minority rights could hardly turn back at this point, though many
instances of injustice were common.
•
FDR enacted
non-discrimination policies during the war for government jobs.
•
CIO followed
suit, though painfully in some areas.
•
Many non-Japanese
Asians were treated much better during and following the war, especially the
Chinese.
•
Latinos also
improved their lot during the war.
Baby Boom
•
There was a sharp
increase in births in the early years of the war and then immediately following
it, peaking in 1950.
Housing Boom
•
GI Bill
•
Housing shortages
intense following the war, but finally caught up in the early 1950s
20th Century Industrial Development
•
Describe the
development and locations of new industries since the nineteenth century, such
as the aerospace industry, electronics industry, large-scale commercial
agriculture and irrigation projects, the oil and automobile industries, communications
and defense industries, and important trade links with the Pacific Basin.
Post-War Economics
•
The impact of
WWII on California’s economy can hardly be overstated.
•
Two million new
residents
•
Economy
transformed from an agricultural-entertainment base to manufacturing and high tech.
•
Massive influx of
population.
California Economy
•
$1.55 trillion
(as of 2005) California economy is larger than all but the top 7 national
economies in the world
•
13% of the US
GDP.
•
Major industries
include:
–
agriculture,
–
entertainment
–
light
manufacturing,
–
tourism.
Map of State/National GDP
Tourism
•
$82.5 billion in
2004
•
Many advantages,
especially when controlled internally.
•
Basic income,
much of it spent in LA county and San Francisco.
Aerospace
•
California was a
early entrant into the aerospace industry, (Douglas, Lockheed, Martin).
•
What advantages?
•
20,000 workers in
1939 – 280,000 in 1944.
•
FDR called for an
astounding 50,000 planes per year in 1941, but in 1943 100,000 were built…many
in California.
•
Lockheed 37 in
1937, but 18,000 during the war.
•
Became the second
largest industry in the state, though its share fell dramatically at the end of
the cold war.
•
Effects were
significant in the SFV and other parts of Southern California.
•
Great ‘multiplier
effect’…why?
Silicon Valley
•
Home of California’s
computing industry, generally the San Jose and Bay Area.
•
Why is it here? –
–
Stanford and UC
Berkeley, Davis, Santa Cruz
–
History of
Aerospace, military high tech
–
HP founded there
in 1939 by Stanford Grads
–
Many
semiconductor companies
–
Venture capital
available
–
Conglomeration
economies
–
Apple computer,
XEROX,
•
Lost 250,000 jobs
in Northern California alone.
•
Massive income
inequality, racial issues, pollution
Silicon Valley-San Jose (fig)
Entertainment Industry
•
Television
production is the biggest of this group of industries, followed by movie
production.
•
Much movie
production has moved out of California in response to high production costs and
aggressive competition, especially from Canada.
California’s Water System
•
Trace the
evolution of California's water system into a network of dams, aqueducts, and
reservoirs.
History
•
Geography and
weather patterns made California both flood and drought prone.
•
Many 49ers built
water control systems.
•
Generally water
is carried in concrete lined channels, built on a gentle down grade, and pumped
upward at intervals, occasionally over mountains.
•
Multiple
Aqueducts in California; federal, state and local.
•
Statewide plans
laid in late 1800s and again in 1919.
Projects
•
Central Valley
Project, though initially a state project was taken over as a WPA project in
1935.
•
Colorado River
Aqueduct also constructed during the Depression, delivers water to Southern
California.
Salton Sea
•
Created in 1905 when
the Colorado River breached man-made dikes diverting water to the Imperial
Valley.
•
Took two years to
contain the flooding, several small towns submerged as the ancient sea bed
refilled.
•
Largest lake in
California
•
Increasing
salinity, failed tourism/ development plans.
•
New River that
feeds into it may be the most polluted in the US.
•
Best bird
watching in the US?
Endangered White Pelican (fig)
Fish Kill (fig)
Touristic Ruins (fig)
Population Density (map)
Ethnic Breakdown
•
2004 Estimate
•
Non-Hispanic
White -44.2% ↓
•
Hispanic/Latino
of any race -34.9% ↑
•
Asian American
-12.0% ↑
•
Black -6.0% ↓
•
Multiethnic -1.9%
•
Native American
and Inuit 0.5%
•
Native Hawaiian/
Pacific Islander -0.3%
African Americans
•
Los Angeles had
always had black neighborhoods.
•
Shipbuilding
attracted many thousands of blacks from the South during WW2.
Latino Majority
•
Higher birth
rates and immigration should make people of Latin American descendancy the majority
in California by 2010.
•
By 2050, whites
will be 1/4th.
•
Birth rates level
off to host-society levels in second generation.
Poorest Community in California
California’s Public Education System
•
Describe the
history and development of California's public education system, including universities
and community colleges.
•
Berkeley
Scientists, including Oppenheimer were key in the construction of the first
Atom Bomb.
•
Other
universities in the state were key in developing technologies.
•
Many universities
were created in the wake of the war, for GI’s and the baby boom generation.
20th Century Californians –
Cultural
•
Analyze the
impact of twentieth-century Californians on the nation's artistic and cultural
development, including the rise of the entertainment industry (e.g., Louis B.
Meyer, Walt Disney, John Steinbeck, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, John Wayne).
Objectives
•
Students will
identify and discuss California’s role in the major events of the early 20th
century, including the two World Wars and the Great Depression.
California
Standards
•
Describe rapid
American immigration, internal migration, settlement, and the growth of towns
and cities (e.g., Los Angeles).
•
Discuss the
effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II on California.
•
Describe the
development and locations of new industries since the nineteenth century, such
as the aerospace industry, electronics industry, large-scale commercial
agriculture and irrigation projects, the oil and automobile industries,
communications and defense industries, and important trade links with the
Pacific Basin.
•
Trace the
evolution of California's water system into a network of dams, aqueducts, and
reservoirs.
•
Describe the
history and development of California's public education system, including
universities and community colleges.
•
Analyze the
impact of twentieth-century Californians on the nation's artistic and cultural
development, including the rise of the entertainment industry (e.g., Louis B.
Meyer, Walt Disney, John Steinbeck, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, John Wayne).