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The Home Front

The Home Front. How American citizens waged war at home and supported their loved ones abroad. Rationing. Equal distribution of available resources or using sparingly. How it worked: B ased on number of people in family S pecific things, specific duration Price ceilings

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The Home Front

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  1. The Home Front How American citizens waged war at home and supported their loved ones abroad.

  2. Rationing • Equal distribution of available resources or using sparingly. • How it worked: • Based on number of people in family • Specific things, specific duration • Price ceilings • Maximum price set by government • Ration stamp AND money • What was rationed: • Sugar (1st) • Coffee • Meat • Butter • Tires • Gas • Nylons • Make-up • Clothing

  3. Victory Gardens • 20 million+ planted • 9-10 million tons • 50% of total production • People stopped growing these gardens at wars end • Canning/other forms of preservation Civic Duties • V-mail • Paper was in short supply • Long time, heavy • Only source of contact • VERY important • So…. • Go to Post Office get special card • Write and return • Photographed • Film sent overseas • Lighter! • The pictures were printed and mailed • Families with men in the War put stars in their windows representing the number serving. • Blue for active • Gold for lost in action

  4. Civic Duties Continued… • Conservation and Recycling • Metal (car bumpers to bottle caps to lipstick cases) • Steel and aluminum • Collected in “Scrap Drives” – often by young boys • Paper • Gas/Oil • Rubber and Tin • Cooking fats • Silk and Nylon

  5. War Bonds • Defense Bonds first • War Bonds after Pearl Harbor • $25 • Stamps forsmaller amounts • collected • Children and Adults • $25 after 10 years = $25.73 • Sold everywhere • In towns – Girl and Boy Scouts • By celebrities and sports leagues • Exhibition games, selling kisses, radio-thons • Total $185.7 BILLION • Over ½ population buys them • Helps fund the War Effort and promote Saving!

  6. Women & Minorities in Workplace • Industry increasing, unemployment decreasing • Manpower surplus, Severe shortage in manpower • Men to War – Jobs replaced • Private Employers/Government encouraged women/minorities to work • 750,000 African Americas migrated to N. and W. industrial cities • 1940:12 million women (1/4) in workforce • War End: 18 million (1/3) in workforce • Where did they work? • Riveters and Welders • Weapons testers • Volunteer Firefighters • Factory workers • Seamstresses making military clothing • Clerical positions • 3 million in the War industry – remainder in more typical jobs.

  7. Propaganda • War posters and Video Newsreels • Office of War Information (OWI) • Aimed at all aspects of American society • Women, Children, Minorities • Promoted Democracy, War Aims, Ideals • Bring American People together • Support War • Helped by new technology and media

  8. Japanese Internment • FDR Executive Order 9066 • Authorizing mass incarceration • Around 130,000 Japanese-Americans interned • 2/3rds are American citizens, ½ are children • Germans and Italians Americans too • Forced to either leave behind or sell for virtually nothing all of their possessions, homes, and businesses/farms • President Reagan issues Reparations • $20,000 to surviving detainees • President Bush, Sr. issues an apology

  9. Organization & Volunteerism • Civil Defense • Air raid wardens • Fire and Police Auxiliaries • Black-out monitors • Organized War Bond sales • Collection drives for scrap metal and other products • Rolled bandages, knit socks, etc. • Red Cross • Victory Corps • Volunteer Ambulance drivers

  10. Pop- Culture • Tattoos • Common on servicemen • Pin-ups • Images sent to soldiers • Hollywood starlets and “hometown” girls • Movies and Radio • ¾ Newsreels showed military hostilities/war related info • FDR fireside chats continue thru WWII • Heavy censorship • At Movies: • 2 feature films • Serial (like TV) • Previews • Cartoons • Newsreels

  11. Fun Facts!!! • Copper and Nickel get removed from money!!! • Women started playing in major league sports • Girls’s Professional Baseball League • (Movie: A League of their Own) • Celebrities and Sports Teams would put on exhibitions to help sell war bonds! • Clark Cable and Humphrey Bogart, both famous Hollywood actors, join the military and go to War. • Superman did not join the War, because they were afraid it would make the War look too easy. • Captain America – 1944 – In red and white tights to do battle with the Nazi’s! • Wonder Woman too! • USO organized many functions for soldiers • Dances, coffee and donut socials, and shows • My Grandmother and Grandfather met at one of the dances!

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