New York Framework Key Ideas:

• 8.6 WORLD WAR II: The aggression of the Axis powers threatened United States security and led to its entry into World War II. The nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transformed the United States and the global community. The damage from total warfare and atrocities such as the Holocaust led to a call for international efforts to protect human rights and prevent future wars. (Standards: 1, 2, 3; Themes: TCC, GOV, TECH, EXCH)
  • 8.6a Worldwide economic depression, militant nationalism, the rise of totalitarian rule, and the unsuccessful efforts of the League of Nations to preserve peace contributed to the outbreak of war in Europe and Asia.
    • Students will examine how the worldwide economic depression and militant nationalism resulted in the rise of totalitarian rule.
  • 8.6b From 1939 to 1941, the United States government tried to maintain neutrality while providing aid to Britain but was drawn into the war by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States fought a war on multiple fronts. At home, the economy was converted to war production, and essential resources were rationed to ensure adequate supplies for military use.
    • Students will examine American involvement in World War II, including the American strategy in the Pacific and the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.
    • Students will examine the role of the Tuskegee Airmen within the segregated military during World War II.
    • Students will investigate the effects of the war on the American economy and day-to-day life.
    • Students will examine the internment of Japanese Americans in light of perceived national security concerns versus constitutional rights, including the decision in Korematsu v. United States (1944).
    • Student will examine the role of New Yorkers in World War II, focusing on local institutions, such as the Fort Ontario Refugee Center or the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
  • 8.6c The nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transformed the United States and the global community. The damage from total warfare and human atrocities, including the Holocaust, led to a call for an international organization to prevent future wars and the protection of human rights.
    • Students will examine the role of air power by the allies, including the use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
    • Students will investigate the Holocaust and explain the historical significance of the Nuremberg trials.
    • Students will examine the structure and work of the United Nations

Essential Questions:

• How did aggression contribute to the United States involvement in WWII?
• What were the sacrifices Americans made on the homefront during the war?
• How did the nature and consequences of warfare during World War II transform the United States and the global community?

8 Main Ideas of World War II:

1) Worldwide economic depression left European countries in turmoil after World War I. The Treaty of Versailles did not create long-lasting peace, instead it created bitterness in Germany. In this chaotic time, the people of Germany, Italy, Russia, and Japan turned to dictators to lead them to stability. These dictators repressed personal freedoms, promoted violence, and preached militant nationalism to keep control.

2) The United States foreign policy was still isolationism in 1939. The United States tried to stay out of war; however, President FDR allowed American companies to supply the British. The Japanese surprised attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor in 1941. This act of aggression brought the U.S. into war.

3) Life changed dramatically when the United States went to war. Millions of men and women served in the military either by enlisting or being drafted. Women at home went to work in factories to produce wartime products. Families rationed food, clothing, and gasoline to help with the war effort.

4) In a response to fear, President FDR signed Executive Order 9066 that interned all Japanese and Japanese-Americans on the west coast. The internment camps were prisons and all those who were interned had to make great personal sacrifices and suffered great personal losses.

5) The United States fought a 2 front war; one against Germany and Italy in Europe and one against the Japanese in the Pacific.

6) D-Day was a major turning point in the war in Europe because it gave the Allied Powers the foothold it needed on the European mainland to attack Germany.

7) WWII ended in Europe on May 8, 1945, and then officially ended in the Pacific on August 14, 1945. The Japanese finally surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

8) WWII is the deadliest military conflict in history. Over 60 million people lost their lives, and for the first time ever more civilians died than military personnel. The United States emerged as a world superpower helping Europe and Japan rebuild. The horrors of the Holocaust were discovered, which prompted an outcry for the protection of human rights.