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In this page, you will see the entry document that was given to students at the beginning of our World War II unit. It was made to resemble a letter President Roosevelt sent to his Cabinet officials after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Entry Document

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON 

DECEMBER 7, 1941

MEMO

TO: The Presidential Cabinet, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff

FROM: President Roosevelt

Members of the Cabinet and Generals of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

The events of this morning demand immediate attention.  After much contemplating I have decided we must act quickly, and learn more about our enemy.  The way we handle these next few days will impact this nation for decades to come.  Up to this point, we have remained neutral in this war.  However, the Japanese have forced us to enter, and we will enter.

This morning, as I was hearing the initial reports from Pearl Harbor, I was filled with great anger and hatred towards the Japanese.  No doubt, they will be punished for their mistake in waking a sleeping giant.  However, we must put a great deal of thought in our plan for a direction forward.  Therefore, I have decided to separate the Cabinet and the Joint Chiefs of Staff into 5 committees.  They are as follows:

•          The Committee on Military Strategy
•          The Committee on Home Front Production
•          The Committee on Patriotism
•          The Committee on the Prevention of Jewish Extermination
•          The Committee on Tolerance and the Home Front

Each of these 5 committees will put together a formal presentation for the entire Cabinet.  The presentations must be well researched, answer the specific questions I will ask, and be prepared to answer all questions from the other members in the cabinet. 

Together we will decide which committee has created the most effective plan to initiate.  Remember, our nation’s future is at stake.  Never in our history have we been faced with a greater challenge.  The decisions that are made in this room will impact our great grandchildren.  When we are old, frail and lying on our death bed it is this day we will remember.  Let us not look back on it with regret.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Committee Tasks

Committee on Military Strategy

n      Should the U.S. declare war on Germany?

n      Should the US focus on Europe or Japan first?

n      What is your strategy to defeat Japan?

n      What is your Strategy to defeat Germany?

n      What specific products do you need the Home Front Production Committee to focus on producing?

Committee on Home Front Production

n      How will the US mobilize its economic resources to achieve victory in WWII?

n      Will African Americans and women do the same work and get paid the same wages as whites in the wartime factories? 

                      How will you deal with the racial tension resulting from the races working together?

n      What products will you produce?

n      Will you build new factories or convert peacetime factories to wartime production.

n      How will you get current factory owners to go along with your plan?

Committee on Patriotism

n      Design a Poster(s) that explains and advertises President Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms.

n      How will you mobilize the American Psyche against both Japan & Germany?

n      Design at least one Propaganda poster for each of the other committee’s.

The Committee on the Prevention of Jewish Extermination

• What is the timeline of Hitler’s final solution between its beginning and where it was at in December of 1941?
• In December of 1941, where were the Concentration Camps located? 
• How did the “final solution” begin? Describe the goal of the “final solution”?
• How was he able to persuade so many people?  What propaganda did he use?
• How do we prevent this from continuing?
• After studying Adolf Hitler’s personality, how could we most effectively negotiate with him?

The Committee on Tolerance on the Home Front

• What can be done to ensure that the opportunity for espionage is limited while maintaining the rights and freedoms of Japanese Americans?
• What are the perspectives and the first hand accounts of people who were there?
• How can we apply the outcomes of the following Supreme Court cases to determine a legal but effective plan of action:
• West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
• Hirabayashi v. The United States
• Korematsu v. The United States     

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Rubric

Committee on Military Strategy

Rubric

Guiding Question: Given the possibility of a two front war (Germany and Japan), how should the US conduct the coming war?

WWII Rubric official copy.doc

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Student Examples 

Example 1:  Home Front Production 

Example 2: War Strategy in Europe

Example 3: Home Front Production

Example 4: Holocaust      

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