Read, Listen & Watch: Washington State & World War II
OVERVIEW
On this page, you will learn some new words and read about how Washington was impacted by World War II.
- First, study the new words.
- Then, read the passage about Washington and WWII.
- Next, listen to audio of the text.
- Last, read and watch the video about the Japanese Internment Camps.
READ
Read:
Open the handout and read the words before you read the passages below. The handout has a list of vocabulary words that will help you understand the reading.
WWII READING VOCABULARY
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READ & LISTEN
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Read:
An important event in Washington State history was World War II. The US military depended on Washington State for food, materials, soldiers, and even bombs.
World War II was fought between 1939 and 1945. Many countries fought in the war. The United States joined World War II in 1941 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Washington State provided military equipment, materials, and food for the war.
Washington shipyards built over 100 ships for the military. Boeing Company built 8,200 airplanes for the military. Hanford Nuclear Site used chemicals to build bombs that were used in the war.
The military used natural resources, such as lumber, to build ships and houses. The U.S. government also bought food from Washington farmers. The military bought almost all of the fish, especially salmon, caught in Washington.
Many people moved to Washington from other states because there were good jobs. The population of Washington in 1940 was 1,736,191. By 1950, it was 2,378,963.
World War II ended in 1945. World War II changed Washington State in many different ways.
Listen:
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Read:
In 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. That is when the United States entered World War II.
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a law that required Japanese-Americans on the West Coast to be moved to internment camps. German- and Italian-Americans were not forced to move, even though the US was fighting against Germany and Italy, too.
The US government moved 120,000 Japanese-Americans. Many were American citizens. When they were moved to the internment camps, they lost their houses, farms, businesses, and other property. Children were taken out of school.
World War II ended in 1945. The last camp closed in 1946. In 1988, the U.S. government paid Japanese-Americans some money because the internment camps were wrong, and many people lost property.
Watch:
DENSHO JAPANESE AMERICAN LEGACY PROJECT
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