|
|
“The Proper Application of Overwhelming Force”: The United States in World War II
—Curriculum Unit Overview—
Introduction
After learning that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor, thus ensuring that the United States would enter World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill breathed a sigh of relief. "Hitler's fate was sealed," he would later recall. "Mussolini's fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. All the rest was merely the proper application of overwhelming force."
Churchill's sentiment was easy to understand. In terms of raw materials and industrial capacity the United States alone was far superior to Germany, Italy, and Japan combined. Now that America had joined Great Britain and the Soviet Union in the fight against the Axis, victory seemed assured.
Yet it was neither raw materials nor industrial capacity alone that was able to overcome the Axis Powers. No doubt the Allies had tremendous advantages in terms of technology and productive capacity, but ultimately World War II was won by members of the armed forces—real, flesh-and-blood men (and sometimes women) who risked death and dismemberment in the name of freedom. They fought everywhere from the steppes of Russia to the jungles of Southeast Asia, from the icy waters of the North Atlantic to the sun-drenched deserts of North Africa. And after nearly four long years they achieved victory.
In this unit, students will examine the role that the United States played in bringing about this victory. They will learn about the strategies that were developed, and how they played out in reality. They will become familiar with the two major theaters of the war—Pacific and European—and how developments in one affected the course of the fighting in the other. Finally, they will learn how the various military campaigns—on land and sea, and in the air—all contributed to the war's successful conclusion.
Guiding Questions
- How did the Allies manage to turn back the Japanese offensive of 1941-42?
- How did the United States contribute to the turning of the tide against the Axis Powers in Europe in World War II?
- How did the Allies manage to defeat and occupy Germany in 1944 and 1945?
- How did the Allies manage to defeat Japan?
Learning Objectives
Upon completing all of the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
- Articulate the various strategies developed by Anglo-American military planners, as well as the reasons behind them.
- Evaluate the strategies used, in terms of how successful they were in meeting their objectives.
- Discuss anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States, and how it affected the way the Pacific War was fought.
- Explain the magnitude of the U-Boat threat in the Atlantic in 1942 and early 1943, and how it was overcome.
- Assess the effectiveness of the strategic bombing campaign against German cities.
- Explain the reasons behind the dropping of the atomic bombs, and why the use of these weapons was controversial.
- Articulate the reasons behind the Japanese surrender, and the role the atomic bomb played in that decision.
- Identify on a map locations of importance to the war, both in Europe and the Pacific.
- Identify the most important military engagements and explain their significance.
Preparing to Teach this Curriculum Unit
Review each lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and links from EDSITEment-reviewed websites. Download and print out selected documents and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing. Alternatively, excerpted versions of these documents are available as part of the downloadable PDF file, such as this one for Lesson Plan One (see sidebar under "Additional Student/Teacher Resources" for full list of files).
Download the blackline masters for each lesson, available as a PDF files, such as this one for Lesson Plan One. This file contains excerpted versions of the documents used in the first and second activities, as well as questions for students to answer. Print out and make an appropriate number of copies of the handouts you plan to use in class.
Perhaps most importantly, you should become familiar with the interactive maps which accompany this unit, and which show the locations of important events in both the European and Pacific theaters:
Clicking on these locations will bring up pop-ups that include a paragraph or two of basic information about what happened there, as well as links to pages with more in-depth coverage, plus relevant campaign maps, photographs, and/or personal accounts by those who were there.
Working with Primary Sources
If your students lack experience in dealing with primary sources, you might use one or more preliminary exercises to help them develop these skills. The Learning Page at the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress includes a set of such activities. Another useful resource is the Digital Classroom of the National Archives, which features a set of Document Analysis Worksheets. Finally, History Matters offers pages on "Making Sense of Maps" and "Making Sense of Oral History" which give helpful advice to teachers in getting their students to use such sources effectively.
Unit Lesson Plans
Each lesson plan is designed to stand alone, occupying two to three class periods. Taken together they provide a fairly comprehensive approach to U.S. involvement in World War II. If there is not sufficient time to complete all four lessons, the first should have priority, followed by the second, then the fourth, then the third.
Selected EDSITEment Web Sites
- Digital Classroom
(NARA):
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html
- Document
Analysis Worksheets:
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential
Library and Museum:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/
- Chiefs
of Staff Conference, Washington, DC, December 24, 1941:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box1/t05d01.html
- United
States and British Chiefs of Staff, Washington War Conference on American-British
Strategy:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box1/t05s19.html
- Joint
Planning Committee Report to the Chiefs of Staff, Supporting Measures
for the Southwest Pacific:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box1/t05t01.html
- Admiral
Ernest King to the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box4/a44f02.html
- General
Douglas MacArthur to Army Chief-of-Staff George Marshall:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box5/a60f01.html and
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box5/a60t01.html
- U.S.
Naval Attaché in China to the Secretary of the Navy:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box2/a16b02.html
- Probable
Maximum Scale of Enemy Attack on the West Coast of the United States:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box1/a05f01.html
- American-British
Grand Strategy:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box1/a05uu01.html
- General
George Marshall to FDR:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box4/a44f03.html
- FDR
to General George Marshall and Admiral Ernest King:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box3/a39e01.html
- Study
of European Operations:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box4/a44y05.html
- German
Strategy in 1943:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box2/a18i01.html
- Conduct
of the War in 1943-1944:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box2/a17d02.html
- Report
by Joint War Plans Committee, Invasion of the European Continent from
Bases in the Mediterranean in 1943-1944, May 8, 1943:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box2/a18e02.html
- Report
by Joint War Plans Committee, Invasion of the European Continent from
the United Kingdom in 1943-1944, May 8, 1943:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box2/a18d02.html
- Operations
in the Pacific and Far East, 1943-44:
http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box2/a17j01.html
- History Matters (GMU):
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
- Naval Historical Center:
http://www.history.navy.mil/
- Oral Histories of
World War II:
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq87-3.htm
The Avalon Project
at Yale Law School:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm
Project Whistlestop
(Truman Library):
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/educatio.htm
- The
Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/bomb.htm
- Notes
of the Interim Committee Meeting, 31 May 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/fulltext.php?fulltextid=7
- Minutes
of Meeting Held at the White House, 18 June 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/fulltext.php?fulltextid=1
- Notes
of the Interim Committee Meeting, 21 June 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/fulltext.php?fulltextid=11
- Pages
from President Truman's diary, July 16, 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/fulltext.php?fulltextid=1
- Memorandum
for General Arnold regarding the Groves Project, July 24, 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/fulltext.php?fulltextid=18
- Draft
of a White House press release, "Statement by the President of the
United States," ca. August 6, 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/index.php?documentdate=1945-08-06&documentid=56&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumber=1
- Translations
of two leaflets dropped on Japanese cities shortly after the first
atomic bomb was dropped, ca. August 6, 1945:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/index.php?documentdate=1945-08-06&documentid=7&studycollectionid=abomb&pagenumber=1
- United
States Strategic Bombing survey "Japan's Struggle to End the War",
July 1, 1946:
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/
bomb/large/documents/fulltext.php?fulltextid=29
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
|