SEQ WW2

Question 1

What was the America First Committee?

Answer 1

A group formed in 1940 to oppose U.S. entry into WWII and promote isolationism.

Question 2

Who was a prominent member of the America First Committee?

Answer 2

Charles Lindbergh.

Question 3

What did the Neutrality Acts (1935–1939) aim to do?

Answer 3

Keep the U.S. out of foreign conflicts.

Question 4

What did the 1935 Neutrality Act do?

Answer 4

Banned arms sales to nations at war.

Question 5

What did the 1936 Neutrality Act do?

Answer 5

Banned loans to belligerents.

Question 6

What did the 1937 Neutrality Act add?

Answer 6

A ‘cash and carry’ policy for non-military goods.

Question 7

What was the purpose of FDR’s Quarantine Speech (1937)?

Answer 7

To call for an international quarantine of aggressive nations.

Question 8

What was the 1939 ‘Cash and Carry’ policy?

Answer 8

Allowed arms sales to nations that paid in cash and transported goods themselves.

Question 9

What was the Destroyers for Bases Deal (1940)?

Answer 9

U.S. gave 50 destroyers to Britain in exchange for access to 8 British bases.

Question 10

What did the Lend-Lease Act (1941) do?

Answer 10

Allowed the U.S. to lend war materials to Allied nations.

Question 11

What was the Atlantic Charter (1941)?

Answer 11

A declaration by FDR and Churchill outlining post-war goals like self-determination and free trade.

Question 12

What happened at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?

Answer 12

Japan launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base, killing over 2,400 Americans.

Question 13

What was the U.S. response to Pearl Harbor?

Answer 13

Declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941.

Question 14

What was the War Production Board (WPB)?

Answer 14

An agency that coordinated conversion of factories to military production.

Question 15

What was rationed during WWII?

Answer 15

Gas, meat, sugar, rubber, and other essentials.

Question 16

What were Victory Gardens?

Answer 16

Home gardens to help supplement the food supply.

Question 17

How was the war financed?

Answer 17

Through war bonds and increased income taxes.

Question 18

What did ‘Rosie the Riveter’ symbolize?

Answer 18

Women working in defense industries.

Question 19

What was Executive Order 8802?

Answer 19

Banned discrimination in defense jobs.

Question 20

What was the Bracero Program?

Answer 20

Allowed Mexican laborers to work in U.S. agriculture and railroads.

Question 21

What was Executive Order 9066?

Answer 21

Authorized Japanese American internment.

Question 22

What did Korematsu v. United States rule?

Answer 22

Upheld internment as a military necessity.

Question 23

What was the Office of War Information (OWI)?

Answer 23

Produced propaganda to promote patriotism and national unity.

Question 24

What was the Manhattan Project?

Answer 24

The secret U.S. project to build the atomic bomb.

Question 25

What medical advancement became widespread during WWII?

Answer 25

Penicillin production.

Question 26

What effect did WWII have on the U.S. economy?

Answer 26

Ended the Great Depression; U.S. became a global economic leader.

Question 27

What did the GI Bill provide?

Answer 27

Education and housing benefits for veterans.

Question 28

What was Executive Order 9981?

Answer 28

Desegregated the U.S. armed forces in 1948.

Question 29

What was the first major war with integrated combat units?

Answer 29

The Korean War.

Question 30

What was the MS St. Louis?

Answer 30

A ship carrying Jewish refugees that was turned away by Cuba and the U.S. in 1939.

Question 31

What did the U.S. do when the MS St. Louis requested refuge?

Answer 31

Denied entry, reflecting isolationist and antisemitic attitudes.

Question 32

What happened to many passengers after returning to Europe?

Answer 32

About 250 were killed in the Holocaust.

Question 33

What was the Manhattan Project?

Answer 33

A secret U.S. program to develop atomic weapons.

Question 34

Why did the U.S. drop the atomic bombs on Japan?

Answer 34

To end the war quickly, save lives, and show power to the Soviet Union.

Question 35

When was Hiroshima bombed, and what was the bomb's name?

Answer 35

August 6, 1945; 'Little Boy.'

Question 36

When was Nagasaki bombed, and what was the bomb's name?

Answer 36

August 9, 1945; 'Fat Man.'

Question 37

When did Japan surrender?

Answer 37

Announced August 15, 1945; formally signed September 2, 1945.

Question 38

What were the arguments against using the bomb?

Answer 38

High civilian casualties, radiation effects, and belief Japan may have surrendered soon anyway.

Question 39

What was the long-term impact of the atomic bomb?

Answer 39

Start of the nuclear age and Cold War arms race.