What impact did American involvement in World War II have on women and minorities? At the start of the war, millions of factory jobs became vacant due to the need for soldiers in the army. A significant majority of American men went to fight in the war, which gave women and minorities the opportunity to fill the job gap. Mexican Americans and black Americans migrated from the South to Northern cities to meet manufacturing needs, while nearly 6 million women left their homes to work in factories. Some black men even fought in the war, although they remained somewhat segregated from their white counterparts. Iconic figures like “Rosie the Riveter” and slogans like the “Double V” encouraged women and minorities to take jobs to help the war effort, while also fighting for equality. Women now had a permanent place in the workforce, and many black soldiers earned the respect they deserved for fighting in the war. What impact did the nation's participation in World War II have on the American economy in the short term? What about the lasting economic impacts of the war? In the short term, the start of the war brought the United States out of the Great Depression. Although Roosevelt's New Deal programs had some effect on the economy, they did not actually solve the Great Depression. The immediate demand for factory labor, however, put millions of previously unemployed Americans to work. Now that Americans were earning a paycheck, they could reinvest their earnings back into the economy in the form of consumer spending. Entry into the war also had many long-term economic impacts. After the war, many Americans had saved more money and, as a result, wanted to spend it on material goods. This new demand for consumer goods will dramatically change… middle of paper… him running for a fourth term. First, this was the first time in U.S. history that a president served more than two terms, let alone three. This particular issue, however, was a bit of a non-issue, because he had already broken precedent with his third term, so his fourth term wasn't necessarily revolutionary. There was another problem, however: his age. It was no secret that Roosevelt was aging, and the added stress of the war meant that he may not be able to serve effectively for his entire fourth term. This gave further prominence to his vice president, Harry Truman. Truman was appointed with Roosevelt's blessing after gaining national attention for serving on a congressional committee investigating wasteful war spending. Just a few months into his fourth term, Roosevelt died and Truman assumed the role of president.