Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the

United States, representing the American
women who worked in factories during World
War II,[1][2] many of whom worked in the
manufacturing plants that produced munitions
and war supplies. These women sometimes
took entirely new jobs replacing the male
workers who were in the military.[3] The
character is considered a feminist icon in the
US.[2]
The term "Rosie the Riveter" was first used in
1942 in a song of the same name written by
Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb. The song
portrays "Rosie" as a tireless assembly line
worker, doing her part to help the American
war effort.[5]
All the day long,
Whether rain or shine
She’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory
Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter became most closely associated with another real woman, Rose Will Monroe, who
moved to Michigan during World War II. She worked as a riveter at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in
Ypsilanti, Michigan, building B-29 and B-24 bombers for the U.S. Army Air Forces.
The picture was made by J. Howard Miller. Miller based his “We Can Do It!” poster on a United Press
photograph taken of Lansing, Michigan, factory worker Geraldine Doyle.

1. What type of work does Rosie the Riveter do? BE SPECIFIC

2. What do you think the poem is trying to say about Rosie?

3. Describe the two connections to Michigan that are made in the writing above.
How Did Hitler Control Young People?
(1) Hitler made himself a father figure: In the
traditional German home, the father was the
one in control. The rest of the family was
expected to always obey the father. Hitler also
persuaded "his" children into thinking that,
since Hitler was their "father", this also meant
that he also cared about them, and about their
future.
(2) Hitler got rid of different opinions:
Children were only allowed to hear one view
of Hitler - the positive view. This was
especially true after 1933, when Hitler became
the leader of Germany. Anyone who disagreed
with any of Hitler's ideas was immediately
considered to be "suspect" and sometimes
kidnapped by Hitler's men.
(3) Hitler used an organized program to keep
his kids occupied: Hitler used his now famous
"Hitler Youth" program as a kind of "Boy
Scouts" for the training of children to
obediently follow him, and to prepare them to
become his future soldiers.
(4) Hitler made certain that children were kept as ignorant as possible: Children were not allowed to
listen to the news or read the newspaper.
(5) Hitler gathered the children into frequent rallies: Large groups of children congregating together in
youth rallies can have a strong peer pressure effect. Hitler made sure there was loud music and a lot
going on at these events to keep kids excited.
(6) Hitler used uniforms: By enforcing a dress code, Hitler's youth were taught to act and think the
same, and to "believe without thinking". They were taught to have "blind faith" in whatever Hitler told
them to believe. The mandating of the wearing of ties and other such dress codes was therefore used to
help reinforce such "uniform thinking" among his youth.
(7) Hitler used the Jews as a focus of blame: Hitler taught kids from a young age that Jews were to
blame. Because they were young, many did not know better. It made it easier to convince them as they
grew up this way.

1. What did Hitler do to try to keep ideas he did not like from getting to children in Germany?
2. How do you feel the picture makes Hitler look, and which number do you think that
description would go with?
3. Do you think any of the above “tricks” get used on you? Which one, how is it used, and what
is your opinion of it?
The Kamikaze were suicide attacks by Japanese Pilots against Allied naval ships during the Pacific
campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible.
Kamikaze pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships—planes often laden with
explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks. The aircraft's normal functions (to deliver torpedoes
or bombs or shoot down other aircraft) were put aside, and the planes were converted to what were
essentially manned missiles in an attempt to reap the benefits of greatly increased accuracy and payload
over that of normal bombs. The goal of crippling as many Allied ships as possible, particularly aircraft
carriers, was considered critical enough to warrant the combined sacrifice of pilots and aircraft.
The plan backfired, as they lost many pilots. Japan experienced a decreased ability to wage war. The
Japanese government expressed its reluctance to surrender. In combination, these factors led to the use
of kamikaze tactics as Allied forces advanced towards the Japanese home islands.
USS Bunker Hill was hit by kamikazes piloted by Ensign Kiyoshi Ogawa and another airman on May
11, 1945. 389 personnel were killed or missing from a crew of 2,600. Although they killed more men at
Pearl Harbor, this attack may have been one of the last straws before the US dropped their nuclear
bombs.

1. What is a Kamikaze?
2. Was what the Kamikaze's did a good idea or a bad idea, and how do you know?
3. What was the most important Kamikaze attack? Explain your answer.
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known
as Operation Overlord and Operation Neptune, during World War II. The landings started on Tuesday,
the 6th of June 1944 (D-Day), beginning at 6:30 AM. While they planned their attack. They called it D-
Day. Now we say D-Day only for the date of the actual landing instead of the entire event.
The assault had two phases: an airborne assault landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and
Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight. They jumped from plans and landed. There was also
an water landing of Allied infantry and armored divisions on the coast of France starting at 6:30 AM.
There were also decoy armies set up to trick the German's into thinking Americans were at other spots.
In some places they literally used cardboard cutouts!
The operation was the largest water invasion in world history, with over 160,000 troops landing on the
6th of June in 1944. 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were
involved. The invasion required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by
troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English
Channel and naval fire-support. The landings took place along a 50-mile stretch.

1. What are the 4 names used to describe D-Day?

2. What did the allies do to try help their men land safely?
3. Make a list of important statistics from above.
Japanese-American internment was the relocation and imprisonment by the United States
government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the
Pacific coast of the United States to camps called "War Relocation Camps." Of those interned, 62%
were American citizens.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt allowed the internment with Executive Order 9066, issued
February 19, 1942, which allowed local military commanders to designate "military areas" as
"exclusion zones," from which "any or all persons may be excluded." This power was used to declare
that all people who were Japanese were banned from the entire Pacific coast, including all of California
and most of Oregon and Washington. 1944, the Supreme Court said it was okay to lock these people
up. The United States Census Bureau helped by telling the government where Japanese people lived.
They denied it for decades but was finally proven in 2007.
In 1988, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed legislation which apologized for the
internment on behalf of the U.S. government. The legislation said that government actions were based
on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership". The U.S. government eventually
disbursed more than $1.6 billion in reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned and their
heirs.

1. How many Japanese people were put into prisons during WWII?
2. What three groups in the US Government are responsible for allowing Japanese Americans to
be wrongly locked away?
3. What did the US government do to try to, “make things right?” And do you think it was
enough?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Eisenhower was assigned to the General Staff in
Washington, where he had the responsibility for creating the major war plans to defeat Japan and
Germany. He was appointed Deputy Chief in charge of Pacific Defenses.
In November, 1942 he was appointed Supreme Commander Allied (Expeditionary) Force . He
immediately took over military actions in Africa and organized the attack on Italy. With his help, the
Allies knocked Italy out of the war.
Roosevelt also put Eisenhower in charge of planning and carrying out the Allied assault on the coast of
Normandy in June 1944 under the code name Operation Overlord, the liberation of western Europe and
the invasion of Germany.
Many believe that the plan would fail, and there were a lot of solders who hoped to replace Eisenhower.
He did such a good job that he was not replaced though. He became famous in America, and was
widely known as “Ike.” In the 1950's, years after the end of the war, Eisenhower would run for
President. His campaign slogan was, “I like Ike.”

1. Make a list of different military operations Eisenhower was in charge of:

2. What was the most famous mission Eisenhower ever led.
3. Look at the picture above. What do you imagine this mans personality was like?
4. What did Eisenhower do later in life?
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany had concentration camps throughout the land it controlled. The first Nazi concentration
camps were greatly expanded in Germany after 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and
enemies of the Hitler. The number of camps grew quickly between 1939 and 1942 as Jews, political
prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies, the mentally ill and others were imprisoned, usually
without a trial.
Later in the war, many concentration camps became extermination camps, which were for the large-
scale murder of the mostly Jewish people and concentration camp prisoners. Many prisoners were
killed by gun fire. Some were tricked into getting into showers that sprayed poison instead of gas.
Some were forced into large ovens only to be burned alive. It is also known that Hitler employed many
doctors who performed unusual experiments on Jewish people. In one lab, Allied forces found items,
including a leather coat, made of human skin.
Some Jews were not killed right away, but instead forced to starve for months, and sometimes years. In
the photo above you can see what looks like living skeletons. Often, people would go several days
without any food.
This treatment was all part of what is known as the Holocaust. It is estimated that as many as 17
million people were murdered by Nazi Germany during this time.
1. What type of people were sent to concentration camps, and why were they sent?
2. What happened to people who went to extermination camps? Be specific.
3. What do people need to do to prevent things like this from happening in the future?