World War II

Appeasement

• The date of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Much of the U.S. Pacific Fleet was destroyed and thousands of Americans were killed. On December 8, 1941 the U.S. declared war on Japan.
• These countries included Great Britain, France, and eventually the United States.
• Giving in to hostile powers in order to maintain peace.
• A 1945 meeting of Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt to discuss the plan for ending the war with Germany. It was decided that a United Nations should be created after Germany was defeated.

September 1, 1939

• On August 6, 1945 the "Little Boy" atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Japan did not surrender. On August 9, 1945 the "Fat Man" atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. These bombs killed tens of thousands of people.
• The first African American flying squadron. Became one of the most highly decorated squadrons of the war.
• A key American victory in the Pacific that occurred in March of 1945. Thousands of marines died taking the key island 750 miles from Tokyo.
• The date on which Germany invaded Poland. The beginning of World War II.

Axis Powers (World War II)

• These countries included Germany and Japan.
• The date (May 8, 1945) on which "Victory in Europe" was achieved upon the defeat of Germany.
• The date on which Germany invaded Poland. The beginning of World War II.
• Through this organization more than 150,000 women joined the U.S. Army in non-combat positions.

Allies (World War II)

• Led ground troops in the Pacific during World War II.
• These countries included Great Britain, France, and eventually the United States.
• This act required all men ages 21 to 35 to register for the draft. It became the first peacetime draft in American history.
• This regiment composed of second generation Japanese Americans was activated in February of 1943. They helped to liberate the Dachau concentration camp in April 1945.

Election of 1940

• A secret U.S. plan to build atomic weapons. At Alamogordo, New Mexico in the summer of 1945 the first atomic bomb was successfully tested.
• In this presidential election Franklin Roosevelt defeated Thomas Dewey to win an unprecedented fourth term.
• In this election Franklin Roosevelt defeated Wendell Willkie to become the only person elected president three times.
• This agency was established in 1942 to help transition peacetime industries to producing war materials. It also encouraged the conservation and rationing of scarce resources.

Selective Service Act of 1940

• A key American victory in the Pacific that occurred in March of 1945. Thousands of marines died taking the key island 750 miles from Tokyo.
• In this battle of 1940 Hitler's Germany bombed British ships and the British Royal Air Force for four months.
• This act required all men ages 21 to 35 to register for the draft. It became the first peacetime draft in American history.
• A German encryption machine used during World War II. Allied mathematicians broke the code giving the Allies a major advantage.

Battle of Britain

• A secret U.S. plan to build atomic weapons. At Alamogordo, New Mexico in the summer of 1945 the first atomic bomb was successfully tested.
• In September of 1940 Hitler began bombing civilian targets in major British cities. London was bombed for 57 nights in a row.
• In this battle of 1940 Hitler's Germany bombed British ships and the British Royal Air Force for four months.
• In this 1942 battle the U.S. Navy destroyed four Japanese Aircraft carriers turning the tide of war in the Pacific.

"The Blitz" (1940-1941)

• The name given to June 6, 1944. On this date Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France in an effort to open up a second Europe front.
• This act required all men ages 21 to 35 to register for the draft. It became the first peacetime draft in American history.
• In September of 1940 Hitler began bombing civilian targets in major British cities. London was bombed for 57 nights in a row.
• After the Japanese conquered the Philippines, American and Filipino soldiers were forced to march to a prison camp. Many died in route to the camp.

Lend-Lease Act

• These countries included Germany and Japan.
• This civil rights organization was formed in 1942 with the idea of using non-violent methods to protest racial discrimination.
• This act was passed in March of 1941 to allow Great Britain to buy U.S. weapons on credit.
• The date on which Germany invaded Poland. The beginning of World War II.

Invasion of the USSR (1941)

• After failing to defeat Great Britain Hitler attacked the USSR. As a result the USSR reluctantly joined the Allies.
• A German encryption machine used during World War II. Allied mathematicians broke the code giving the Allies a major advantage.
• These countries included Great Britain, France, and eventually the United States.
• The World War II-era effort of black Americans to gain "a Victory over racism at home as well as Victory abroad."