Primary Source Set

World War II, Part 1: North Carolina Before Pearl Harbor

Though World War II began in September of 1939, it was not until late 1941 that North Carolina and the United States officially entered into the war. This part of the World War II lesson uses photographs, newspaper articles, and journal entries to illustrate how North Carolinians perceived the Second World War before American involvement and to describe the actions taken in North Carolina in preparation for the war.

Time Period

1940-1941

Grade Level

Undergraduate

Transcript

Resident Center Opened By N.Y.A. For “Rejectees” - Physically Unfit For Military Service Are Given Chance - The nation’s first resident center for the rehabilitation of rejected selectees who have been found to be physically unfit for military duty according to standards of the selective service system was ready for formal opening at Durham Wednesday by the National Youth trator John A. Langlaaf. cmfw Administration [National Youth Administration], State Administrator John A. Lang announced today. The first group entering the center will be composed of 16 men, with additional contingents arriving daily as fast as physical examinations can be given applicants. In addition to the physical improvement of young men, the center will stress preparation for employment in national defense industries. The camp will provide opportunities for young men between the ages of 16 and 24, inclusive, in work experience, physical improvement, supervised recreation, and related training. The center is one of two in the United States to be devoted to youth rehabilitation from the physical standpoint and is the first to be opened and placed in operation. The second camp is scheduled to be open within the next two months at the University of Wisconsin. The young men to be employed on the project will be selected on a voluntary basis from two special groups. One group will embrace young men 21-24 years of age who have been rejected for military service because of physical defects of a remedial nature, while the second group will consist of young men in the 16-24 year group who are employed by NYA and who have been found as a result of a medical examinations, to be below the standards of physical fitness needed for military service. Applicants in both groups must meet the physical criteria, which has been laid down for admission to the center. Applicants must be under-developed as indicated by height-weight relation, limited chest excursion, lack of vitality, lack of endurance, low muscular tone, Narrow chest, low respiration capacity, abnormal heart bear, abnormal blood pressure variation and other individuals who exhibit interesting signs and symptoms and whose stay at the resident center would prove beneficial to the individual and interesting from an investigative standpoint. The center will furnish medical and dental services, including correction of defects and hospitalization. Each youth will pay a small sum from the resident center subsistence for medical, dental, and hospitalization service, and special attention will be given to diets designed to improve physical fitness and to body building exercises. A dietitian, laboratory technician, and nurse will be provided for the program. An infirmary is a part of the resident center plan, but remedial services requiring more extensive facilities will be undertaken at Duke hospital. The type of work to be done at the center is on an experimental basis with a view to spreading the program nationally. Youths accepted for the project will be paid a wage scale of $35 per month. Each youth will receive $12 in cash, with $23 being paid the center for board and living quarters. Board, room, medical, and dental services, and the opportunity to learn a skilled trade will be provided all youths enrolled in the center. The Durham center is being constructed at a cost of $94,640, of which $72,090 is being furnished through the National Youth Administration and $22,550 by Durham county. The center is located off Highway 501 in Durham and consists of 10 dormitories, five workshops, an infirmary, a kitchen and dining hall, and an officers’ lodge. One of the shop buildings will be used as a gymnasium. Two hundred men can be accommodated in the completed center, with employment being divided as follows: woodworking shop, 40 men; machine shop, 30; sheet metal, 30; auto mechanics, 30; radio, 20; cooks, 12; construction, 20; photography, 10; and clerical, 8. Related training subjects will include instruction through the North Carolina Department and Public Instruction in mechanical drawing, shop practice, first aid, applied mathematics, consumer education, and employer-employee.

"Resident Center Opened By N.Y.A. for 'Rejectees'," The Roanoke Rapids Herald

Established in 1940, the United States’ first peacetime draft compelled men to register for military service. However, some of these men were rejected from military service because the standards of the Selective Service System deemed them unfit in health or education. North Carolina had the highest rate of rejections, with 44.6% of draftees rejected. 

In 1941, a resident center was opened in Durham by the National Youth Administration (N.Y.A.) for the rehabilitation of “rejectees” who met certain physical criteria. This article from the Roanoke Rapids Herald describes the different features and services of the resident center.

Contributed to DigitalNC by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Roanoke Rapids, N.C. (Halifax County)

World War II, Part 1: North Carolina Before Pearl Harbor

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Background

World War II had raged on for two years when Japanese forces unexpectedly attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. While the United States had remained a neutral force during the early years of the war, it was the attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the nation, and North Carolina, into the conflict.

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States prepared itself for potential hostilities. On September 16, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act. This law, better known as the “draft,” required American men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register for military service. Around 362,500 people from North Carolina served in the war, most of whom were drafted. 69,000 of that number were Black North Carolinians, along with 7,000 North Carolinian women. The United States also prepared for war by building and expanding military bases, particularly in North Carolina. Already-established installations like Fort Bragg experienced rapid growth in both construction and population. Sites like Fort Bragg made North Carolina the top state in training the most military personnel during World War II. 

While American soldiers trained in military bases and began to join in the fighting overseas, regular citizens had to adjust to a new life at home. War led to substantial changes in the economy and in everyday life for North Carolinians. The scarcity of certain goods, like sugar, caused the government to force citizens to ration. Factories and textile mills across North Carolina also experienced change as they shifted to producing materials for the war. Many of the workers in these factories were women, who increasingly joined the workforce to fill the positions left behind by men who were drafted or had enlisted in the armed forces. Though rationing and increased production aided the war effort, the United States continued to seek out support for their military by promoting and selling war bonds to citizens. 

Four years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the war came to an end. United States forces used two atomic bombs to attack the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945. Japan officially surrendered soon after, marking the end of the war on September 2, 1945. Although the conflict was over, World War II made a lasting impact on North Carolina. The primary sources in this collection demonstrate the social and economic effects of the Second World War on the state and exhibit some of the contributions that North Carolinians made to the war effort.

Discussion Questions

  1. Although the United States did not enter World War II until late 1941, the country still made preparations for potential hostilities. In what ways did North Carolina and its citizens prepare for the war?

  2. Take a look at the chapter from the Library Extension Publication about the United States in relation to World War II. What are the recommended readings about? Why do you think the creators of this study guide picked these readings for this topic?

  3. Military bases in North Carolina experienced a great deal of growth and expansion before the United States entered World War II. Workers were drawn to the construction at Fort Bragg, even if they were located far away. Why were workers so willing to travel to places like Fort Bragg for work? What kind of impact did the expansion of Fort Bragg and other military bases have on North Carolina?

  4. Consider The Daily Tar Heel article about the antiwar rally held by university students. Why were these students protesting American involvement in the war?

  5. More than any other state, North Carolina had the highest number of rejected draftees during World War II. The Roanoke Rapids Herald article describes the opening of a resident center to rehabilitate the young men who were rejected from serving in the armed forces. What social or economic factors may have contributed to the large rejection rate of draftees in North Carolina?

This primary source set was compiled by Isabella Walker.

Updated January 2025