HIST 31289

About this course

This history elective examines the political, social, economic, and cultural transformations of the United States during World War II, exploring how global conflict reshaped the nation at home and abroad. Students will analyze the transition from isolationism to international leadership following the attack on Attack on Pearl Harbor, the expansion of federal power under Franklin D. Roosevelt, wartime economic mobilization, and the growth of the military-industrial complex. The course also investigates the experiences of soldiers and civilians, including the internment of Japanese Americans, the roles of women and African Americans in defense industries and the armed forces, migration and demographic change, and the origins of the modern civil rights movement. Special attention is given to the scientific and ethical dimensions of the Manhattan Project and the decision to use atomic weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, assessing their immediate impact and long-term consequences. Through engagement with primary sources and historical scholarship, students will evaluate how the war redefined American identity, citizenship, and global influence, laying the foundations for the Cold War era.