This lesson, for grades 7-12, correlates with Era 8, Standard 3c of the National History Standards for United States History: "evaluate the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and assess the implication for civil liberties." The lesson provides background on the internment of Japanese Americans during the war and…

Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other, more subtle forms of warfare. Words, posters, and films waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of the U.S. citizenry as military weapons engaged the enemy. Persuading the U.S. public became a wartime industry, almost as important as the manufacturing…

Presents a lesson plan using original documents of the wartime correspondence between President Franklin Roosevelt and baseball commissioner Kenesaw Landis. Explores the status of baseball during World War II to determine the importance of sports in U.S. culture. Includes background information and copies of the correspondence. (DK)

This teaching unit, "World War II Unit," is the ninth in a series of 10 units about Alabama state history, part of a project designed to help teachers integrate the use of primary source materials into their classrooms. Although the units are designed to augment the study of Alabama, they are useful in the study of U.S. history, world…

Planning for "Operation Overlord" had been under way for about a year when General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of all the Allied forces in Europe, was ordered in February 1944 to invade the continent. Thousands of troops from the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, and other nations were assembled in southern England and…

This Historical Reader on "Japanese American Internment" in World War II introduces students to key events and issues during the period through the voices of people with firsthand experienced. Source documents and illustrations are arranged in chronological order and/or thematic units that establish context. Each selection is followed by…

Discusses a process used for teaching about the Japanese relocation camps of World War II. Suggests methods for helping students to understand the events being studied: (1) link the event to students' lives; (2) provide background for understanding; (3) analyze the event; and (4) apply the concept-transfer. Includes a letter as a primary source…

Reprints portions of a sailor's diary, kept for two-and-a-half years during World War II. The 21-year-old quartermaster writes about his life on the USS Grimes; hearing of the war's official end; his ship's peaceful landing in Tokyo Bay; and his experiences in Nagasaki in September 1945. (CH)

This lesson plan can help teachers and students understand what happened on December 7, 1941, beginning with the first U.S. treaty with Japan in 1854 through the attacks in 1941. Students use primary sources to synthesize information and draw conclusions about the role of the U.S. Navy in foreign policy and to understand how people in 1941 reacted…

This lesson describes and discusses the submerged remains of the battleship USS Arizona which rests on the silt of Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), just as it had settled on December 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked the U.S. fleet and began the Pacific battles of World War II. The lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file,…

Presents suggestions for teaching activities and student projects using Franklin Roosevelt's war address following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Recommends vocabulary emphasis, class discussion, and classroom listening to a recording of the speech. Suggests comparing the speech to Patrick Henry's famous speech and interviewing individuals…

Relates the use of a period "Life" magazine article to teach students about the internment of Japanese-American citizens during World War II. Recounts how the article about local prejudice prompted students to critically examine the policy of internment. Provides excerpts from the article and subsequent letters to the editors. (DSK)

In February 1942 (two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii) President Franklin Roosevelt, as commander-in-chief, issued Executive Order 9066 to relocate all persons of Japanese ancestry, both citizens and aliens, inland and away from the Pacific military zone. The Order was to prevent espionage and to protect persons of Japanese descent…

Presents a lesson plan that enables students to learn more about U.S. wartime production during World War II. Includes background information on wartime production efforts and provides activities for building upon this overview. Offers additional online resources, a bibliography, and primary sources. (CMK)

Early in the afternoon of December 7, 1941, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his chief foreign policy aide, Harry Hopkins, were interrupted by a telephone call from Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, and told that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor (Hawaii). At about 5:00 p.m., following meetings with his military advisers, the president…