American Triumph: 1939-1945: 4 STORIES IN 1
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A couple of heavy rains made some people think the drought was over.
efficient—able to produce good results without wasting resources, time, or energy
“It’s an efficient way,” Mrs. Madden insisted.
extraordinarily—very unusually
“I assure you I can be extraordinarily persuasive.”
far-fetched—not likely
“Well,” Mr. Orvid said, still shaking his head, “it still seems far-fetched to me.”
granary—a place where grain is stored
She recognized Mr. Decker from the granary in town and Mr. Elliot from the cattle auction.
horizon—the line where earth or water seems to meet the sky
A huge black cloud stirred on the horizon.
inferior—of less importance or lower quality
“After a speech like that, how can you possibly justify sending the Mexican children to an inferior school?”
jalopies—old, worn-out cars
All through the summer, jalopies rolled through the streets of town to the highways heading west.
kowtow—to give in too easily
“If we kowtowed to every whim that someone brings to the board, we’d never make any progress in this town.”
Morse code—a system using long and short sounds, marks, or flashes of light to represent letters and send messages
She knew right away that it was her brother Juan, because he loved to tap out messages in Morse code and make people try to guess what he was saying.
persuasive—able to make people do or believe something
“I assure you I can be extraordinarily persuasive.”
photojournalist—a person who uses photos to report news stories
“Who took these pictures?” Rosa asked Mrs. Madden. “A photojournalist named Dorothea Lange.”
preposterous—ridiculous or silly
“And now you come to me with this preposterous notion that you can organize a school?”
quota—an amount that is expected to be reached
“If you get a job, you get up long before the sun so you can make your quota before the hottest part of the day.”
stifling—extremely hot and humid
The day was stifling, and the windows were open.
suffocating—extremely uncomfortable with no fresh air
Inside or outside, the heat was suffocating.
summarize—to give information again with fewer words
“So the government wants people to work together to solve the problems many people have,” Rosa summarized.
IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND THINGS AROUND 1935
Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange was an American photojournalist best known for her work during the Depression era. She was born in 1895 in New Jersey as Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn, contracted polio (which left her with a permanent limp) at age seven, and took her mother’s maiden name of Lange when her father abandoned the family five years later.
Lange studied photography at Columbia University in New York City. In 1918 she moved to San Francisco, where she opened a portrait studio. But as the Great Depression began, she studied the homeless and unemployed and began working for a government agency called the Resettlement Administration to bring the conditions of the poor—especially sharecroppers and migrant workers—to public attention. During World War II, she covered the forced evacuations of Japanese-Americans to internment camps
Lange’s best-known photo is of a thirty-two-year-old woman in California, Florence Owens Thompson, titled “Migrant Mother.”
Black Sunday and the Dust Bowl
Through the early 1930s, drought and soil erosion had caused frequent dust storms on the Great Plains of the United States. But April 14, 1935, brought the worst of these “black blizzards” to the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. The clouds of dust turned day to night and caused extensive damage. April 14, 1935, became known as Black Sunday.
A news reporter named Robert E. Geiger was caught in the Black Sunday storm in Oklahoma. He wrote an article and called the area affected by storms “the dust bowl.” The name stuck.
A year before Black Sunday, an advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt, Hugh Hammond Bennett, testified before Congress about the need for soil conservation. Dust from the Great Plains was affecting the weather even in Washington, D.C., so Bennett simply pointed out the window for an example to support his cause. Congress listened and soon passed the Soil Conservation Act.
The Last Man’s Club
The Last Man’s Club was formed by newspaper editor John McCarty as a support group for those who chose to stay in the area known as the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, despite the horrible circumstances. McCarty wanted to promote a spirit of courage and said he would stay until everyone else was gone. He dared others to join him.
Part of the pledge that members of The Last Man’s Club had to sign said, “In the absence of an act of God, serious family injury, or some other emergency, I pledge to stay here as the last man and to do everything I can to help other last men remain in this country.”
HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE TIMELINE
July 21, 1925—Tennessee teacher John Scopes is found guilty of teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution.
January 26, 1926—John Logie Baird gives the first demonstration of television in London.
April–May 1927—The Great Mississippi Flood is the most destructive river flood in United States history.
May 16, 1929—The first Academy Awards, also known as the “Oscars,” takes place.
February 18, 1930—Clyde Tombaugh, an American astronomer, discovers the planet of Pluto.
May 1, 1931—Construction of the Empire State Building is finished in New York City.
May 20–21, 1932—Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
August 2, 1934—German President Paul von Hindenburg dies, opening the way for Adolf Hitler to declare himself leader of Germany.
April 14, 1935—The “Black Sunday” dust storm blasts across the plains of the United States.
May 27, 1937—The Golden Gate Bridge opens in San Francisco.
September 1, 1939—Germany invades Poland, starting World War II in Europe.
1941—American car company Willys-Overland Motors begins producing the Jeep.
MANDY THE OUTSIDER: PRELUDE TO WORLD WAR 2
VOCABULARY WORDS
balk—to hesitate to do something
Even Caroline balked.
clubfoot—a foot twisted out of shape since birth
“Move your stuff, Clubfoot,” one of the Golden Ring said to her, pushing her clothes off the bench and onto the damp floor.
crestfallen—sad and disappointed
When Lora first announced she planned to spend Thanksgiving Day with Mark’s family, Mandy was crestfallen.
deftly—doing something quickly and skillfully
Mandy watched a moment as Lora deftly ran the iron over the skirt, smoothing out all the wrinkles.
exquisite—very fine, beautiful, and/or delicate
Hideko opened the door to her cozy little bedroom, which was lined with shelves full of books and exquisite handmade Japanese dolls in silk kimonos.
giddy—silly and full of joy
Susan and Ben were giddy with excitement about being a part of the show.
gruesome—horrible
Mandy shivered at the gruesome sights.
gung-ho—excitedly enthusiastic
What good would it do when everyone else was so gung-ho on this picnic idea?
humanitarian—for the good of other people
Lora said it was important that she be involved in humanitarian work since she was engaged to a sailor on a warship.
jujitsu—a Japanese way of fighting without weapons
The Mikimoto boys were accomplished in jujitsu, having studied it for years.
kimono—a loose Japanese robe with wide sleeves
Hideko opened the door to her cozy little bedroom, w
hich was lined with shelves full of books and exquisite handmade Japanese dolls in silk kimonos.
loiter—to hang around in a place with no real reason
Mandy hurriedly took her things to the classroom, then went outside since no one was allowed to loiter in the halls before the bell rang.
longshoreman—a person who loads and unloads ships at a port
He worked as a longshoreman for Gaylor Shipping.
oblivious—unaware
Stifled snickers spurted out in little bursts. But their hard-of-hearing teacher was oblivious.
paltry—too small or not enough
After the returned books were checked in and the new ones checked out, Mandy thanked Miss LaFayette. But the thank-you seemed paltry.
piston—part of an engine that moves back and forth against fluid pressure and causes other parts of the engine to move
At first the train moved slowly, then the pistons pumped louder as it picked up speed.
plight—a bad or difficult situation
She wanted to tell Lora all about the wretched girls in the Golden Ring and about her lie to Miss LaFayette about the torn book. And about the plight of poor Helga.
scot-free—completely unaffected by punishment or duty
It seemed to her that John got off scot-free from everything.
totalitarian—a type of government that has strict and complete control of its people
“The totalitarian countries have more than fifteen hundred aircraft,” Dad said, waving his fork in the air.
yoke—a shaped or fitted piece at the top of a skirt or the shoulder of a piece of clothing
“You’re supposed to iron the yoke first.” Caroline’s voice intruded into her thoughts. “I thought you knew how to iron.”
IMPORTANT PEOPLE AROUND 1939
Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow was a well-known American journalist. He gained fame for his reports from London during World War II, including live broadcasts during the Blitz bombings that were heard by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.
Murrow was born Egbert Roscoe Murrow in North Carolina in 1908. When he was six, his family moved to the state of Washington. In college, Egbert changed his first name to Edward and majored in speech. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1930 and began working for the CBS broadcasting network in 1935. Murrow stayed with CBS for his entire career, and was respected for his courage, integrity, and perseverance in delivering the news.
Murrow had two famous signature phrases in his war reports from London. He always began with “This is London,” and ended with “Good night, and good luck.”
Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain was born in 1869 in Birmingham, England, to a political family with a father and a half-brother who were in Parliament. Neville, too, would have a political career in Parliament, working his way up to prime minister of Great Britain from May 1937 to May 1940.
Chamberlain is often criticized for a policy of “appeasement” to avoid war. He signed the Munich Agreement of 1938, which allowed Nazi Germany to take over parts of Czechoslovakia. Conflict came anyway, though, and Chamberlain led Britain through the first eight months of World War II. He resigned as Prime Minister on May 10, 1940 and was replaced by Winston Churchill. Chamberlain died later that year, on November 9.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was a leader of Great Britain who served as Prime Minister through most of World War II.
Churchill was born in 1874 to the family of the Dukes of Marlborough; his father was Lord Randolph Churchill and his mother was an American socialite, Jennie Jerome. Winston grew up mainly in the care of his nanny, Elizabeth Ann Everest. He graduated from Royal Military College in 1894 and later served as an officer in the British Army. He married Clementine Hozier in 1904, and they had five children.
Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1940, early in World War II. In this role he became one of the greatest wartime leaders in history, inspiring confidence and determination never to surrender in in the fight against Nazi Germany. Churchill established a personal friendship with U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and maintained strong relations with the American government.
Churchill was a great speaker, historian, writer, and artist. Despite his accomplishments, he remained humble and was quoted as saying, “I have never accepted what many people have kindly said, namely that I inspired the nation. It was a nation and race dwelling all round that had the lion heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.”
HISTORY IN PERSPECTIVE TIMELINE
March 3, 1931—The United States adopts “The Star-Spangled Banner” as its national anthem.
March 22, 1933—The first Nazi concentration camp opens at Dachau, Germany.
August 14, 1935—The Social Security Act, designed to provide benefits for America’s elderly, becomes law.
November 2, 1936—The British Broadcasting Corporation begins its first regular television service.
February 4, 1938—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs releases as the first full-length, animated movie.
May 20, 1939—Pan-American Airways begins commercial flights between the United States and Europe.
October 11, 1939—President Roosevelt receives a letter from physicist Albert Einstein, urging the United States to develop an atomic bomb.
May 10, 1940—Winston Churchill becomes the prime minister of Great Britain.
December 7, 1941—Japan attacks the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
December 11, 1941—Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
March 18, 1942—President Roosevelt issues an executive order for the War Relocation Authority, which causes Japanese-Americans to be held in internment camps.
January 27, 1943—The first all-American bombing raid on Germany strikes the city of Wilhelmshaven.
JENNIE’S WAR: THE HOME FRONT IN WORLD WAR 2
VOCABULARY WORDS
Allies—countries that supported each other and fought against Germany during World War II
Just last week the papers had headlined the news that the Allies had invaded Italy.
black market—a system for buying and selling things illegally
“He’s making ration books to sell on the black market,” Tommy said.
bonds—documents issued from a government or company promising to pay back a certain amount for money borrowed
And always there was the plea for people to buy war bonds and stamps to help pay for the war.
caterwauling—unpleasantly noisy
“I’m trying to sleep. First it’s that caterwauling music, and now you’re having a party out here. Can’t you keep it down?”
confiscate—to take away something, especially by public authority
The police had confiscated his printing press and said they had several leads on finding him.
counterfeit—fake, imitation
He had been trying to set up his counterfeit operation for some time but lacked a good engraver to make the metal plates for printing the coupons.
deluge—an overwhelming, flood-like amount of water
It often rained in Seattle, but this was practically a deluge.
dignitaries—people in high position, rank, or office
The dignitaries marched down the aisle and up the steps between Jennie and Colleen and the others.
emcee—a person who hosts a formal event and introduces guests, speakers, and/or performers; a shortened form of “master of ceremonies”
The same assistant hurried across the stage to hand the emcee a note.
grandeur—greatness, awesomeness
Jennie was distracted for just a moment by the grandeur she saw.
hooligans—young people who act foolishly or recklessly
“No thanks to you two young hooligans.”
humdinger—something that’s impressive or amazing
“No doubt the Boy Scout float will be a
humdinger, too,” Trudy said.
incorrigible—unable to be managed or disciplined
“You’re both incorrigible, and your mother shall hear about this.”
internment camp—a place to hold enemy foreigners, prisoners of war, or others during a national crisis
Their family was running the hotel for some Japanese friends, the Tanakas, who had been sent to an internment camp soon after the war began.
knack—a natural ability to do something
“You seem to have the knack for it,” the other man said.
precariously—not safely
Stan jumped when Jennie yelled and bumped his arm on the boys’ tomato basket, which had been resting precariously on the edge of the counter.
racket—a dishonest or illegal way of making money
It was just a coincidence that he’d been hanging around the airplane factory while he figured out how to establish his racket.
rationing—controlling the amount of something (such as gas or food) people can have or use, especially if there is only a small supply of it
Even Jennie’s mother was amazed at what the man could cook in spite of all the food shortages and rationing.
ruckus—a noisy disturbance
“What is all the ruckus out here? You children are as noisy as a herd of elephants.”
teemed with—was full of
The following Saturday the vacant lot teemed with gardeners carrying every sort of digging tool.
winch—a machine with a roller and a rope, cable, or chain for pulling or lifting “Stan’s father has some kind of a winch on his truck.”
IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND THINGS AROUND 1944
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Texas on October 14, 1890. He graduated from the U.S. military academy at West Point in 1915 and married Mamie Doud in 1916. They had two sons.
In World War II, Eisenhower was a five-star general in the U.S. Army and served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. He planned and supervised the invasions of France and Germany that ultimately won the war.
In 1948, he was encouraged to run for president but declined. It was not until 1952 that he ran as the Republican candidate and won the election in a landslide. “I like Ike” was his winning campaign slogan. Eisenhower served as the as the thirty-fourth president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. Though he left office with low approval ratings, he is now often ranked as one of the better U.S. presidents.