ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY

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Georgia Higgins
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1 ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY Preview of Main Idea Between 1910 and 1930, Detroit became a major industrial center of the United States, indeed, the world. The ability of the automobile industry to produce an extraordinarily high volume of a product as complex as the automobile placed Detroit in a very unique position. When the time came for the United States to rearm itself at the outset of World War II, it was assumed that Detroit and the auto industry would play a critical role. Which, of course, it did. Fulfilling its destiny as the Arsenal of Democracy, however, was not without its difficulties. Highlighting some of those problems is a well know article from Life Magazine published in August, 1942, titled: Detroit is Dynamite. This lesson will use Detroit is Dynamite to explore conditions in Detroit and the automobile industry in the first months of World War II. Background Prior to World War II, the United States had never been a nation with a large standing army although since the late 19 th Century we had maintained a formidable navy. When Hitler s army marched into Poland in 1939, the United States had an army comparable in size to that of Denmark. Furthermore, there was virtually no system in place to produce the material and equipment necessary to wage a modern war. Isolationists and pacifists, historically influential in the United States and reinforced by the experiences of World War I, successfully prevented President Franklin Roosevelt from rearming the United States to counter the growing German menace in the 1930s. Even the German invasion of Poland was insufficient to bring support for large-scale rearmament. It was not until the defeat of France in May 1940 that Roosevelt was able to begin preparing for the war many thought to be inevitable. One of America s most important tasks was the conversion of its tremendous industrial capacity to military production. The task was heroic and it was made more difficult because until a national emergency existed following Pearl Harbor, there was no way to compel manufacturers into making the transition to war production. It was expensive and there was no assurance that once converted the actual need would arise. Until methods could be devised to protect companies from financial loss, most continued to produce products for a civilian market just emerging from the Great Depression. Other problems needed to be confronted. First, equipment designs needed to be finalized. Equipment needed to meet military specifications approval and in order to take advantage of America s mass production capability, those designs needed to be fixed. This was an enormous problem. Confirming requirements and agreeing upon specific designs, particularly with aircraft, took time. Until this was accomplished, building the machines and components necessary to produce the finished products could not begin. 1 of 9

2 This led to the second problem. American industry built civilian products. While some items could fairly easily be converted to meet military requirements uniforms, boots, trucks, canned rations, for example the capacity to produce other items on a large scale simply didn t exist. New plants had to be built or refurbished and assembly processes designed. Most importantly, however, the machines, dies, jigs, specialized tools, etc., had to be built before large-scale production could begin. And this could not be completed until designs were finalized. While the ability to accomplish these goals was evident, it took time to reach production. Experienced production and manufacturing people recognized this, but the general population (and the news media) was understandable impatient. It was this delay in production that was, in large part, the motivation behind Detroit is Dynamite published in Life Magazine on August 18, At this early date, American industry was still converting to war production. It was not until 1943 that (most) conversion problems had been addressed and US war production was approaching full steam. A major issue in 1942 and 1943 was getting workers to the areas where they were needed. As the size of the US military grew from 334,000 in 1939 to over 12 million by 1945, new workers needed to be found to replace those who had entered the armed forces. One source of labor was the migration of millions of people from rural areas to the major production centers of the country, including Detroit. Many of the migrants to Detroit came from coal mining areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia as well as the southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee. Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi Another new source of workers for these high-paying manufacturing jobs were women and African-Americans. Many women entered the work force for the first time. Women who were already in the workforce suddenly found themselves welcome in jobs paying several times their previous wages from which they had previously been excluded. Blacks, too, soon became eligible for these high paying jobs that had been Whites Only preserves. The work performance of both groups demonstrated to themselves, management and coworkers that prior exclusion was not justifiable. The long-term impact of this experience was considerable. Blacks and women had seen what was possible and would never again passively accept the work place exclusion they had earlier taken for granted. In the short-term, the dislocation of the population created enormous problems. In the Detroit area housing was a major issue. It was a city that had grown very rapidly between 1910 and 1930 (300,000 to 1,500,000!!). In this boom period, the city s housing capacity simply did not keep pace and much of what was built was often hurried and of low quality. This growth spurt was followed by nearly ten years of depression, during which time very little new housing was built while the quality of existing housing deteriorated with age. With the influx of workers in the early 40s the housing market was overwhelmed. 2 of 2

3 The resulting tension over housing was exacerbated by the racial and ethnic prejudices that were commonplace. African-Americans suffered the most as they were systematically excluded from most housing. This race-based tension resulted in a major disturbance over access to the Sojourner Truth public housing project in 1942 and a fullscale race riot that erupted in June 1943, leaving 38 dead. In the end, the production issues were resolved and Southeastern Michigan and the automobile industry played enormous roles in producing the equipment necessary to defeat the Axis powers. The housing and racial tensions, however, remained. They played critical roles in evolution of the region in the post-war years. Notes to the Teacher In this lesson, the students will be asked in questions 3-6 of the Worksheet to formulate an historical question, develop an hypothesis that answers that question, imagine a contemporary document that might contain evidence to support or refute the hypothesis and briefly describe possible evidence the might find Historical questions focuses on such issues as: why something happened; how did something happen; what was the reaction; what were the consequences. A possible historical question that might come from Detroit is Dynamite is: Did war production in Detroit meet expectations of military planners? A possible hypothesis is: Detroit war production exceeded expectations of military planners. One example of a specific contemporary documents that might give evidence supporting or refuting this hypothesis is: A copy of a tank contract between Chrysler and the U.S. Army along with production reports. The findings might reveal that: Chrysler was initially contracted to produce 4000 tanks in 1942 and they actually produced (NOTE: This evidence does not prove the broader question it focuses only on one contract for one product at one company. Nonetheless, it tends to support the hypothesis.) Objectives 3 of 3

4 Materials Lesson Title 1. Develop an understanding of the problems facing Detroit and Southeastern Michigan during the World War II. 2. Develop a better understanding of the term Arsenal of Democracy. 3. Formulate and test (preliminarily) historical hypotheses. 4. Interpret contemporary popular literature. 1. Detroit is Dynamite Life, August 16, Arsenal of Democracy Worksheet Teaching Activity 1. Opening the activity -10 minutes Distribute a copy of Detroit is Dynamte face down to each student. Once everybody has a copy, tell the student that they have been given an article describing Detroit during World War II. It contains pictures with captions as well as a narrative. Tell the students that in the first part of the lesson they will be given 3 minutes to review the article, looking only at the pictures and their captions in order to get a very quick understanding of the main ideas being presented. NOTE: The primary purposes are to get some preliminary ideas on the board to help guide the interpretation of the material and to provide a basis of comparing the impression left by a quick interpretation of the material with the impression left after reading the entire article. The assumption is that the some students will be misled by the pictures. At the teacher s direction, students will turn over the article and review the article. When time is up, tell the students to turn the article face down and to participate in the subsequent discussion based only on their memory. Using a brainstorming technique (no challenges accept all suggestions), ask the students to identify the author s major points. Record them on the board or a flip chart. After listing 6 or 8 points, spend a couple of minutes selectively asking students specifically what they saw that left them with a particular impression. 2. Developing the activity 20 minutes Distribute the Worksheet. Ask the students to read the article and complete questions one and two. Be certain they understand what is meant by a clarifying question. NOTE: Examples of clarifying questions might be: Who was Huey Long? What street was the Cadillac Employment Agency on? What are sub-assemblies? Where is Willow Run? 4 of 4

5 When most students appear to have completed the two questions, review the results. Ask several students for their clarifying questions. The primary objective is simply to get them to recognize there may be factual gaps that limit their understanding of the article. To the extent possible, they should be encouraged to resolve critical questions to ensure they fully understand the meaning of the article. Not all gaps, however, are critical to understanding the meaning of the article. On the board or flip chart record answers to Question 2. There are a variety of possible answers but they will probably revolve around the following: Detroit is a critical producer of war material because of the productive capacity of the automobile industry but war production has not reached desired levels. There are many factional groups political, religious, economic, ethnic, racial within Detroit that is making it difficult for the city to pull together. There is insufficient housing in the region and this creates a great deal of tension. Once these (and probably other themes) are raised, discuss: 1) the evidence used to support these themes; and 2) the significance of these themes to understanding Detroit and the war effort; 3) how do their impressions after skimming the article compare with the impressions they now have. 3. Concluding the activity Balance of class time with the assignment completed as homework and reviewed the following day. Review questions 3-7. Be certain students understand what is meant by an historical question and an hypothesis. Also, in answering questions 6 and 7 encourage them to be creative and specific. They should not be concerned with evidence that proves the hypothesis, rather they should imagine evidence that supports (or refutes) the hypothesis. (See Notes to the Teacher) Allow students to complete questions 3-7 of the worksheet individually or in small groups (2-3 people). Each student must complete his or her own worksheet. To the extent possible, the teacher should review the historical question developed for question 4. Be certain students are able to develop an appropriate question. As a class, review and discuss the worksheet answers to questions 3-7 with the following points of emphasis: Question 3: The main issue is the extent to which the article can regarded as reliable. This is intended as primarily an exercise in 5 of 5

6 developing critical reading skills. Reach a consensus as to the extent students consider the article reliable. Question 4-7: Take the time to identify 5-10 of these questions. Be certain students give their question, hypothesis, a possible contemporary source of evidence and possible information from that source. As appropriate and as time permits, discuss the questions, alternate hypotheses and other possible sources of evidence. Collect a worksheet from each student 4. Extending the activity Possible additional activities include: a. Rename the Life article and write a one page (between 200 and 300 words) synopsis of the article under that title. b. Resolve the clarifying question asked on worksheet. c. Find evidence that supports or refutes the hypothesis developed on the worksheet. d. Assign students to research on the internet or at the library and report on the following related topics: The record of the Willow Run bomber plant. The Detroit Riots of June 21-23, Impact of the War on women in the workforce. Impact of the War on African-Americans in the workforce. Migration to Michigan during World War II. The type and amount of war material produced in Southeastern Michigan where possible focus on nearby sites. Images of plants producing war material. Images of the home front during World War II. Rationing during the war. Sojourner Truth Public Housing Project, January through April, How people coped with the housing shortage during World War II. Assessing the Learning 1. Students accurately complete the work sheet. 2. Students actively participate in discussion. References and Resources Clive, Alan. State of War : Michigan in World War II (Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 1979) Social Studies Standards Addressed 6 of 6

7 Strand I Historical Perspective MS 2.3, 4.3 HS1.2, 1.3, 3.2 Strand II Geographic Perspective LE 3.1, 3.2, 3.4 Strand III Civic Perspective MS 2.3 Strand IV Economic Perspective MS 4.2 Strand V Inquiry LE 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 MS 2.1,2.2,2.3 HS 1.3 Lesson Title 7 of 7

8 Arsenal of Democracy Worksheet Name Date 1. Identify one clarifying question, the answer to which would help you better understand the article. Note: a clarifying question is intended to resolve purely factual issues. 2. Identify at least three major themes from the article. Summarize those themes in one or two sentences. a) Theme 1 b) Theme 2 c) Theme 3 3. Identify one claim made in the article that you believe should be challenged because the supporting evidence is insufficient or inconsistent with your own understanding. 4. Formulate one historical question that is based on the material in the article. Note: an historical question explores such issues as why something happened, who did it affect and how, what where the consequences, etc. 8 of 8

9 Arsenal of Democracy Worksheet, p.2 5. Formulate an hypothesis (potential answer) to this historical question. 6. Identify one possible document from the 1940s you could examine that would help you prove or disprove your hypothesis. Be specific and creative. Do not worry whether or not the document can actually be found. 7. Assuming the document described in question 6 actually exists, give a specific example of what that document might contain if it supported your hypothesis. 9 of 9

Like much of the country, Detroit suffered significant job losses during the Great Recession.

Like much of the country, Detroit suffered significant job losses during the Great Recession. 36 37 POPULATION TRENDS Economy ECONOMY Like much of the country, suffered significant job losses during the Great Recession. Since bottoming out in the first quarter of 2010, however, the city has seen