The Century: America's Time
Reporter Peter Jennings hosts this important series that chronicles the events and experiences of America in the twentieth century, the century that Henry Luce dubbed
Episode 7, Homefront
When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, America was a country steeped in isolationist policies and ill prepared for war. Within a matter of weeks, the country made an amazing turnover from a peacetime nation suffering the final throes of a depression to the most efficient and productive
Discussion Questions
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Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Why did Japan bomb Pearl Harbor?
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How did the American people react to the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
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What is a citizen soldier? Why does the United States have a particular history of citizen soldiers?
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Discuss the transition from a peacetime economy to wartime economy that occurred in the United States during World War II.
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Women workers increased dramatically during the war. Why was there resistance at first to women working in war plants?
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Why were women accepted in the defense industries after some initial reservations and resistance?
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World War II was not fought on American soil. Nevertheless, the impact of the war was tremendous. How did World War II alter the American homefront?
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How did the United States use propaganda to unify the American people behind the war effort?
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Why were Japanese-Americans banished to internment camps? Why werenıt German-Americans or Italian-Americans interned? Why is this one of the greatest civil rights violations in American history?
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Discuss the impact of Frank Sinatra on American culture during World War II.
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Discuss the impact of D-Day on the course of the war.
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Discuss the impact of FDRıs death.
Extended Activities
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Create a recruitment poster for World War II.
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Create a poster commemorating the end of World War II.
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Write an obituary for Franklin Delano Roosevelt that conveys his importance in the Great Depression and World War II.
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