Hello everyone, today I have yet another WW2 effects thread, this week I'll be focusing on Tennessee. I have been looking forward to shedding light on this state's part in WW2 for quite a while now, and even though I've never been to the state, I've always been fond of it, it's the home of country music (my favorite), it was home to Davy Crockett (one of my childhood heroes), and it was also home to another singing icon I like, Elvis Presley. I hope you all enjoy this thread, and I hope you learned something new too! Tennessee Pre-WW2 Much like it's Southern Neighbours, Tennessee hadn't changed a whole lot since the Civil War, with agriculture still being the dominant economic sector. Tennessee did change after the Civil War though, slowly industrializing since the 1870's, and increased coal mining in the northern part of the state. Tennessee's population had also grown significantly since the dark days of reconstruction, going from 1.2 million in 1870, to 2.9 million in 1940. Despite good economic and lifestyle changes through the decades, all progress was halted in the state with the start of the Great Depression in 1929, and Tennessee was hit very hard. Tennessee's main exports of Textiles, Cotton, and Coal experienced inflated prices during the depression, and within a few months, the state's economy was completely stagnant. For the first time in the state's long history, it relied heavily on factory produced goods to make up for the losses, factories grew in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. Tennessee did however benefit from FDR's "New Deal", and many new roads, bridges, and government sites were built throughout the state, but unemployment was still at a massive 13% statewide. With wars starting to breakout across the world, the U.S, and Tennessee began to prepare for a potential armed conflict in the late 30's and early 40's. Many of Tennesse's older forts and military bases were updated and expanded, while a few new installations and airfields were built as well. In June of 1941, General Patton and the 2nd Armored division participated in what would be known as the "Tennessee Maneuvers", a large scale wargame that was fought near Lebanon Tennessee that lasted for a couple of weeks. Tennessee was preparing for yet another war across the Atlantic, and now the Pacific, that preparedness would be seen and ultimately shown in the turbulent years ahead.... Tennessee WW2 When WW2 finally began for Tennessee in 1941, the state was more than ready to contribute to the war effort. Tennessee was (and is) known for being the "Volunteer state", because of the Thousands of Americans who volunteered to settle the wild land back in the 1790's. Now that nickname took on a new meaning, as Hundreds of Thousands of Tennessean's joined the military, and the workforce to work on farms, or factories. Hundreds of Thousands of Soldiers trained at Camps Forrest, Campbell, and Tyson, while Airmen trained at Memphis AAF, Smyrna AAF, and Dyersburg AAF. Camp Tyson also held about 3,000 POW's during the war, all of them being German and Italian. Tennessee housed many major war manufacturers, such as Consolidated aircraft, Vultee aircraft, McDonnell aircraft, Chickasaw ordnance, Firestone tire company, and Ford motors. These companies provided thousands of jobs for unemployed citizens, many of whom were women, and African-Americans. While Segregation still held a place in Tennessee, the urgent need for workers and labor across the state meant that many blacks were given jobs, this was one of the first steps for blacks in Tennessee to push for Civil Rights since reconstruction. In 1942, the U.S government bought out a piece of land in Eastern Tennessee that mostly made up of farmland. This sight would become Oak Ridge Tennessee, the location where Uranium for the eventual atomic bombs was developed and researched as part of the famed Manhattan project. The area was kept a complete secret until the 1970's, and at it's peak, more than 75,000 people lived in the area. There were 3 facilities in the town that worked with the Uranium, K-25, S-50, and Y-12 (I couldn't tell you why they were named that, or summarize what each facility did in less than a page). During the war, about 350,000 Tennessean's joined the military or worked for the government, 6,528 gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country in doing so. Tennessee Post WW2 This excerpt from The Tennessee Encyclopedia (World War II | Tennessee Encyclopedia), perfectly explains Tennessee's transformation after WW2, "Not only did World War II spawn industrial growth in the state, the war provided a catalyst for urbanization. Shelby County's population increased nearly 35 percent between 1940 and 1950, from approximately 350,000 to over 480,000. During the same period, Nashville's population grew by 25 percent from 257,000 to over 320,000. Between 1940 and 1950, the state experienced one of its lowest out-migration rates since 1870, while the major metropolitan areas realized a net 11 percent in-migration rate. During the 1940s, the farm population of the state decreased by over 250,000, signaling the beginning of a downward trend as the rural population dropped from 1,272,000 in 1940 to 1,016,000 in 1950. By 1960 the rural farm population of Tennessee had fallen below 600,000. The war years signaled an end to the Great Depression, as bank deposits more than tripled between 1940 and 1950, from approximately $650,000 to over $2 million. Personal incomes increased from less than $1 billion in 1940 to nearly $3.3 billion in 1950. Per capita personal income nearly tripled from an annual income average of $339 in 1940 to nearly $1,000 in 1950." It's a massive understatement to say Tennessee was changed because of WW2, it in many ways became a completely different state from what it had been just 5 years earlier. Unfortunately, racism in the state would remain a rather large part of the culture for two more decades before the Civil Rights movement became a national call for equality and justice. Tennessee is one of the richest southern states in the U.S, and also has one of the lowest unemployment rates compared to other southern states at 4.6%. Tennessee remains one of the most successful and improving states in the union today, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon.... Poor rural kids in Wilder Tennessee during the Great Depression, 1933 Downtown Memphis 1935 Downtown Nashville, 1931 American soldiers setting up artillery during the "Tennessee Maneuvers" in June of 41' Soldiers working with a barrage balloon at Camp Tyson 1942 Vultee "Vengeance's" being built in Memphis 1942 B-24's being assembled in Nashville 1944 An African American "Rosie" Riveting a Vengeance aircraft's wing, 1942 A sign outside of Oak Ridge, 1943 Women getting off work at the Y-12 facility, 1945 Nashville today Nashville again Downtown Memphis today Downtown Memphis My favorite Country artist of all time.......Blake Shelton who lives in Nashville
