Defending+the+Homefront

=**Defending the Homefront**= After the war started, the United States put effort into supporting its soldiers as well as into protecting its homeland from any threats.

media type="youtube" key="-FXzyYPi6fo" height="390" width="480" [] After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which placed all Japanese-Americans in specified areas known as internment camps. Their intention was to protect the citizens of the United States from any further threat.



Papers ran articles with instuctions in the case of an air raid, even towns in Nebraska - over 1,200 miles from either coast. []

"One front and one battle where everyone in the United States – every man, woman and child is in action. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives." -FDR

Everyone was called on to "Do Your Part." They were encouraged to defend the country and support the war effort. There were lots of ways to be involved in the war effort.
 * Everyone seemed afraid of the possibility of invasion. Even the hometown newspaper in York, Nebraska – over 1,200 miles away from either coast – ran an article about what to do in case of an air raid.
 * Civil defense efforts were organized. Students and adults were taught to identify the outlines of friendly and enemy airplanes and patrolled the skies, especially on the coasts. Blackout drills were organized where entire cities and towns covered their windows and doused the lights on their cars.
 * "Loose lips sink ships." There was a deep paranoia about spies in the U.S. Posters appeared all over encouraging people not to talk about ships sailing or airplanes taking off.

Black Outs And Practice Air Raids The United States in collaboration with numerous countries around the world participated in a black out. In the black outs, the country instituted a mandatory electrical blackout. After sundown, everyone was forced to turn off all lights or cover house windows with heavy black curtains that would absorb all light. This was instituted in the effor to disorient enemy fighter pilots and bomber aircrafts. In addition, many places throughout the United States would have practice air raid drills in which its inhabitants would run through the procedure necessary to protect themselves if there were an actual invasion.

Lady fixing curtains in preparation for a blackout [] Anderson Air Raid Shelter []

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