25 pts + 5 vote pts

Document dramatic changes your town underwent during any war.

SAN FRANCISCO DURING WORLD WAR II

San Francisco underwent significant changes during the time of World War II. During the war, those who weren't at the battlefield were busy planting and gardening in local parks, empty city spaces and lots, and also in their own backyards due to the encouragement of the government. These plots of land were also known as "victory gardens." What resulted from this massive effort that people believed would help the war was a 40% production of the nation's produce at the end of the war. This significant amount of production of the nation's produce to feed the troops helped lessen the burden on farms that were depended upon to produce food for the war effort.

Advertisement encouraging Americans to grow victory gardens

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, there was a massive panic on the West Coast. In order to prevent any Japanese espionage networks from creating a Japanese sabotage against the United States, the California congressional delegation proposed the idea to evacuate all of those of Japanese ancestry and descent and the order was carried out by President Frankling D. Roosevelt's pen. Around 1942 the Japanese in San Francisco were starting to be cleared out from the Western Addition District by San Francisco government and business leaders, a month before the permanent removal of the Japanese from "Little Tokio," or what we commonly know today as Japantown. The Japanese were sent off to internment camps.

The Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay, and the 7,000-ton, seven-mile metal submarine net stretching from Sausalito to San Francisco were protected by soldiers at many forts along the coastline and shores of San Francisco. One of these forts is Fort Point, located next to the Golden Gate Bridge in the Presidio in San Francisco. It was once home to more than 100 World War II soldiers of the 6th U.S. Coast Artillery Regiment who had rapid-fire cannons and searchlights that were mounted at the fort ready at hand in case of an attack.

Fort Point, San Francisco

San Francisco had huge improvements in technology with large and heavy artillery along harbors and shores in order to protect the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco. Along with guns, the defense system also included a maritime shipping control system, underwater minefields, and anti-aircraft positions.

Battery Townsley, emplacement for two 16-inch battleship guns

12-inch disappearing gun of Battery Mendell at Fort Barry

6-inch gun of Battery Chamberlain on Baker Beach

World War II played an important role in San Francisco’s booming success as the Bay Area became part of an expansive industrial and military complex. Many large shipyards were built around the bay, eventually producing 1,867 new ships in four years. That was more ships built in a single location than any other place in the world. Not only did shipyards produce ships and other carriers, but the Kaiser shipyards set up health plans for employees. As the nation's first health maintenance organization, Kaiser also provided child care for working mothers. The organization still exists today as the Kaiser Permanente medical complex. Women accounted for 40% of the shipyard workforce, allowing them to work in the industry for the first time. This spawned a future generation of women to actively participate in the workforce.

Shipyard in San Francisco

Women working on a Vultee Bomber plane

A half million people, consisting largely of African Americans, came to work in the war-related industries in the cities around the Bay Area. Many of them lived in the Bay Area after the war was over, causing a population and economic boom that is still present in the Bay Area today. As a result of the huge increase in the population, there was a serious housing shortage and construction of wartime housing projects occurred.

The dynamic culture of the Bay Area had contributions given by sport stars, black writers, and entertainers. The Pacific theater became a hot spot as millions of soldiers, sailors, and Marines passed through San Francisco Bay. It is thanks to San Francisco that the United Nations was born there in 1945. This occurred after the San Francisco Conference took place from April 1945 to June 1945.