Detroit and WWII Standards: 7.2.

3 Impact of WWII on American Life Analyze the changes in American life brought about by U.S. participation in World War II including mobilization of economic, military, and social resources Anticipatory Set: Write a 3 minute essay on the following: How easy would it be for you to change your lifestyle? What would it take for you to change from the way that you are to a completely new style of living? Why would it be such a challenge? Lesson Flow: We will begin with a discussion of the changing of a lifestyle, and then we would move into a discussion on how those in Detroit were required to change their way of life. Both the men and the women. I will ask the students to use their knowledge of Detroit to predict why it is referred to as the Arsenal of Democracy o Students will write individually, and then share with their partner, and I will take some ideas and write them down on the white board, and then we will go back to them as we read We will be reading the Detroit Historical Societies explanation of the Arsenal of Democracy Everyone will read in pairs, and they will then be asked to re-define the arsenal of democracy, and then they will be asked to predict how it would have impacted the lifestyle of those who lived in Detroit. **Big question: How would being an effective citizen change during this time? Would it, or would it simply be a continuation of the actions of an already effective citizen??*** o Students will do a 5 minute continuous write about this topic I will do a bit of direct instruction about how this would have brought extreme prosperity to Detroit, making a ton of money and attracting a ton of people o But eventually the war ended, and then the American industry was the most successful it had ever been. o Mismanagement led to the decline, white flight in the 50s created a culture vaccum, and as we will see, the money ran out and tomorrow we will find that this was a near death sentence for the city.

ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY
It is generally agreed that no American city contributed more to the Allied powers during WWII than Detroit. Appropriately, then, Detroit grew to become known as "The Arsenal of Democracy" after a fireside chat conducted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the speech, delivered on December 29, 1940, Roosevelt made a call to arm and support the Allied powers, including Britain and France. Europe turned to the United States for assistance in the form of weapons, planes, trucks and tanks. Roosevelt stated that these war military devices would enable them (Europe) to fight for their liberty and for our security. He reminded Americans that a German victory in Britain would greatly compromise the safety of the United States, also emphasizing that aiding Britain would save Americans from the agony and horrors of war. In the speech, the President implored Americans to stand up as the "arsenal of democracy" as though it was their own country at war. He called on the nation to unite with swift cooperation in producing vast shipments of weaponry to aid Europe. Instilling in listeners the importance of patriotism and sacrifice, he spoke about the need for cooperation between the government and laborers. Finally, Roosevelt reminded the American people that they had both the responsibility and the means to turn the tide of war. Because of its strength as an automobile manufacturer, Detroit was an ideal city to step up to the task set by the President. Thus, the Detroit-areas automobile industry underwent rapid transition in order to handle the production of weapons and vehicles of war. Factories halted the production of automobiles for civilian use and began rapidly producing jeeps, M-5 tanks, and B-24 bombers. By the summer of 1944, Fords Willow Run plant cranked out one bomber an hour. Within the first year and a half following the attack of Pearl Harbor, 350,000 workers from the American south and elsewhere moved to Detroit to join in the war effort. Women were also hired for factory labor. In an effort to accommodate both people and war shipments, some of the citys earliest freeways were constructed to offer quicker access between Detroit and surrounding factories. Referencing the citys conversion of its automotive industry to the manufacturing of war materials, Roosevelt honored Detroits contribution by declaring it "the great arsenal of democracy." In a similar vein, Walter Reuther of the UAW spoke these iconic words, "Like England's battles were won on the playing fields of Eton, America's were won on the assembly lines of Detroit.

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Reading on Arsenal of Democracy from: http://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/arsenal-democracy