14:2 - From Isolation to Involvement

Tennessee's Involvement in World War II

World War II was the greatest armed conflict in history, and Tennessee played a significant role in the Allied victory. Over 300,000 men from all parts of the state served in America’s armed forces and six were decorated with the nation’s highest award for valor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

After touring Europe in 1937, Governor Prentice Cooper believed that if hostilities broke out that it would only be a matter of time until the United States would have to enter on the side of the Allies. Cooper had the prescience to prepare Tennessee for war by developing the necessary infrastructure for military bases, training, and war-related industries. In 1940, Tennessee was the first state to establish a defense organization, the Advisory Committee on Preparedness.

In June 1941, Middle Tennessee was chosen as the location of the first of a series of military maneuvers that featured the combined forces of tanks and infantry, largely because its geography was similar to that of Western Europe. In these maneuvers, General George S. Patton, who led the 2nd Armored Division, and who would become one of America’s greatest battle commanders, refined his innovative tactics for the aggressive use of tanks that was to become his hallmark. Throughout the war hundreds of thousands of soldiers trained for the effort at Camp Campbell (now Fort Campbell) near Clarksville, at Camp Forrest near Tullahoma, and at Camp Tyson, near Paris, Tennessee. These installations also housed thousands of Axis prisoners.

Tennessee also helped to usher in the Atomic Age when Oak Ridge was chosen as one of the main sites for the top-secret Manhattan Project. The enriched uranium produced there was used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This bomb and a second one dropped on Nagasaki ultimately ended the war.

Chapter 14 Section 2: From Isolation to Involvement

• Read "An Isolationist Voice" (p.443) and answer: "Why did Lindbergh think that European
  
  wars had little to do with the safety of the United States?"
• Checkpoint (p.444): How did President Roosevelt react to Japan's aggression in China in the late 1930s?
• Map Skills (p.445): #2 & 3
• Checkpoint (p.446): Which side seemed to be winning the war at the end of 1940?
• Edward R. Murrow Reports on the Blitz (p.447): How do you think Murrow's reports influenced Americans?
• Analyzing Political Cartoons (p.448): #1 & 2
• Checkpoint (p.449): According to interventionists, how would aiding the Allies actually keep the United States out of the war?
• Checkpoint (p.450): How did the United States support the Allies after Roosevelt's reelection?
• Thinking Critically (p.451): #1 & 2
• Section 2 Assessment (p.450): #1, 4, 5, 6

As you read this section, there is mention of the "Rape of Nanjing" and the invasion of Shanghai.  The first 5 minutes of this video clip talks about these events.

WWII - Ep. 1 Act 3 - Japan Invades China

Remember that during these times, there was no live TV feeds or video footage they could show on the news.  You could do radio shows and send pictures, but not much more.  Edward R. Murrow had to describe the scene and put you there so you could understand what was happening.

The London Blitz Described by Edward R. Murrow
me> This is a song from Black Sabbath talking about war and featuring the air raid sirens that were heard throughout the Blitz: