That is a complex question. While some civil rights were gained during the war due to economic necessity, widespread and full racial equality would still take many more years of struggle after the war ended. Segregation and discrimination remained legal and common in many parts of the South. So there was certainly a desire among many African Americans to build upon the gains of the war period and continue pushing for further civil rights protections. However, others may have still faced resistance or backlash for demanding full equality. The postwar period involved ongoing social and political debates over these important issues.

1. World War II and Georgia
SS8H9 The student will describe the impact of World War
II on Georgia’s development
economically, socially, and politically.
a. Describe the impact of events leading up to American involvement in World
War II; include Lend-Lease and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
b. Evaluate the importance of Bell Aircraft, military bases, the Savannah and
Brunswick shipyards, Richard Russell, and Carl Vinson.

2. WWII and Georgia
• What led to U.S. involvement in WW2?
• How did our involvement impact Georgia?
• Essential Vocabulary: Bell Aircraft, Richard
Russell, Carl Vinson, Lend-Lease Act, Liberty
Ships, industrialization

3. What was Georgia like before WW2?
• Many Georgians still worked on farms
• There weren’t many industrial jobs available.
• Many Georgians who didn’t want to work on
farms moved to northern cities to look for
work.

4. Few economic opportunities

5. World War II & Georgia
• After World War II, Georgia’s economy was
much different.
• We will discuss how Georgia contributed to
the war effort and how the war effort changed
Georgia.

6. World War II
• Germany invaded its neighbors in Europe.
• Japan invaded its neighbors in Asia.
• Britain and Russia wanted to defeat the Axis,
but needed equipment
• Americans did not want to fight in another
great war, but we wanted to help Britain and
Russia.

7. Lend Lease Act
• When Britain could no longer afford to pay for
the ships and supplies it needed, Congress
passed the “Lend-Lease Act”.
• This allowed Britain and The Soviet Union to
borrow what they needed from us to keep
fighting.
• The U.S. became “The Arsenal of Democracy”

8. Pearl Harbor
On December 7th 1941, Japan launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor
2,403 Americans were killed, 1,178 were wounded
Franklin Roosevelt called it “a date which will live in infamy”
Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans wanted to help the Allies, but did not wish
to fight.
Now, Americans were ready for war.

9. Questions
• Which country attacked Pearl Harbor on
December 7th, 1941?
• Which country took over most of Europe?
• What was the name of that country’s leader?
• Which countries were we trying to help with
the Lend-Lease Act?

10. Georgia contributions
• 1) Thousands of Georgians served in the
military
• 2) Many important military bases were
located in Georgia
• 3) Many of the ships, planes, and other war
equipment was built in Georgia factories

11. Richard Russell & Carl Vinson
1) Both were very important leaders in
Congress
2) Both believed that America should have a
strong military.
3) Both helped get many bases and factories
located in Georgia.

12. Richard Russell & Carl Vinson
Differences:
1) Russell was in the Senate and Vinson was in
the House of Representatives
2) Russell was a governor and a state legislator
and then a Senator (and ran for president),
while Vinson held one office his entire career.

13. Richard Russell

14. Carl Vinson
• Like Russell, was elected to office at a very
young age.
• Elected to House of Representatives in 1914.
• He believed a strong military was very
important.
• Because he was on important committees and
he supported President Roosevelt, he was
able to get many bases built in Georgia and
helped Georgia factories get government
contracts

15. Questions
• What office did Carl Vinson hold?
• What offices did Richard Russell hold before
becoming a Senator?
• Did they agree or disagree with President
Roosevelt’s policies?

16. Georgia Military Bases
• Columbus: Fort Benning
• Hunter Airfield: Savannah
• Camp Stewart: Hinesville
• Naval Air Station Glynco: Brunswick
• Moody Airfield: Valdosta
• Spence Air Base: Moultrie
• Turner Airfield: Albany
• Bainbridge Air Base: Bainbridge
• Souther Airfield: Americus
• Warner Robins Air Service Command
• Fort Screven: Tybee Island
• Camp Wheeler: Macon
• Atlanta General Depot
• Fort McPherson (Atlanta)
• Naval Air Station Atlanta
• Navy Pre-Flight School
• Camp Toccoa
• Fort Ogelthorpe

17. Fort Benning was Georgia’s most famous base. It was the largest infantry training
school in the world.

18. Warner Robins Air Service Command:
Throughout World War II (1941–45),
23,670 employees repaired almost
every kind of AAF aircraft, including B-
17s, C-47s, B-29s, B-24s, P-38s, P-47s,
and P-51s. Its training facilities turned
out nearly 60,000 field repair
mechanics for every theater of war. The
workforce supplied every kind of part
necessary to keep AAF planes flying,
especially spark plugs. It also
maintained thousands of parachutes,
aircraft electronic and radio systems,
and AAF small arms.

19. Navy Pre-Flight School
Athens, GA: One of 5 flight schools in the country. Trained over 20,000 pilots.

20. Savannah & Brunswick Shipyards
Employed thousands of Georgians:
15,000, mostly women, worked in
Savannah
16,000 worked in Brunswick
Produced over 200 ships, “Liberty Ships”
Produced “AV-1’s” for fight against Japan

21. Liberty Ships
“Liberty Ships” were enormous cargo
ships. They weighed over 10,000 tons
Before the US entered WWII, it was
helping Great Britain.
Many British ships were sunk by German
submarines.
The workers at Georgia shipyards built
“Liberty Ships” to replace them.
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, they
were building ships to be sent all over
the world.

22. Bell Aircraft
When it opened in 1943 in Marietta, Bell
Aircraft was the largest assembly plant in
the world.
It built B-29 Bombers during WWII
27,000 workers built 668 planes
Still open today as Lockheed-Martin
Dobbins Air Force Base was opened in
Georgia because it was near this factory.

23. Questions
• What type of ships were produced at the
Savannah and Brunswick shipyards?
• What was the name of the company that
produced the B-29 bomber?

24. Changes to Georgia
• Georgians had more money and better jobs
• More Georgians worked in manufacturing
than on farms
• The average income for Georgians had
doubled

25. Changes to Georgia
• Many women worked in factories so that the
men could fight in the war.
• Many African Americans had economic
opportunities that they previously had been
denied.
• Americans were fighting the war for so that
others could be free.

26. Question:
• After the war is over, do you think they will
want to go back to not having rights?