WW2 had profound impacts on life at home. One of the biggest changes was a shift in the workforce. With so many men in the military, women stepped into jobs that were traditionally seen for men only. This led to the rise of ‘Rosie the Riveter’ and Women gaining increased independence. This was a turning point for the women's rights movement. Digital History reads,”Women also substituted for men on the home front. For the first time in history, married working women outnumbered single working women as 6.3 million women entered the “work force" during the war. The war challenged the conventional image of female behavior, as "Rosie the Riveter" became the popular symbol of women who abandoned traditional female occupations to work in defense industries. Social critics had a field day attacking women. Social workers blamed working mothers for the rise in juvenile delinquency during the war.” (“Digital History”) History.com says, “By the mid-1940s, the percentage of women in the American workforce had expanded from 25 percent to 36 percent.”
The war also brought changes in everyday life due to rationing and shortages. Citizens were encouraged to conserve resources like food, gasoline etc. History.com reads, “During the spring of 1942, a rationing program was established that set limits on the amount of gas, food and clothing consumers could purchase. Families were issued ration stamps that were used to buy their allotment of everything from meat, sugar, fat, butter, vegetables and fruit to gas, tires, clothing and fuel oil. The United States Office of War Information released patriotic posters in which Americans were urged to “Do with less—so they’ll have enough” (“they” referring to U.S. troops).” These sacrifices led to a sense of shared responsibility and community that fostered a sense of shared unity collectively.
The country was not dealing with unemployment at such a high level anymore. When thousands of soldiers were at war, this opened up new jobs and space for citizens. Library of Congress reads, “The U.S. entry into the war helped to get the nation's economy back on its feet following the depression. Although just ten years earlier, jobs were very difficult to come by, there were now jobs for nearly everyone who wanted one. With the creation of 17 million new jobs during the war, workers were afforded the opportunity to pay off old debts, as well as to begin saving some of their earnings.” This put an end to the unemployment struggles many Americans were facing during the Great Depression.
The country was not dealing with unemployment at such a high level anymore. When thousands of soldiers were at war, this opened up new jobs and space for citizens. Library of Congress reads, “The U.S. entry into the war helped to get the nation's economy back on its feet following the depression. Although just ten years earlier, jobs were very difficult to come by, there were now jobs for nearly everyone who wanted one. With the creation of 17 million new jobs during the war, workers were afforded the opportunity to pay off old debts, as well as to begin saving some of their earnings.” This put an end to the unemployment struggles many Americans were facing during the Great Depression.
After Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order which would send thousands of Japanese Americans to concentration camps. Library of Congress reads, “Not all Americans remaining at home gained favorably from the war. Fearing that Japan might invade the West Coast of the United States, the government rounded up thousands of Japanese Americans who lived on the West Coast, and confined them to internment camps. By 1948 when the internment program ended, tens of thousands of Japanese had suffered as internees. In addition, German Americans, Italian Americans, Hungarians, Romanians and Bulgarians were also interned.” History.com also reads, “Executive Order 9066 was the result of wartime panic and the belief on the part of some that anyone of Japanese ancestry, even those who were born in the United States, was somehow capable of disloyalty and treachery. As a result of the order, nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were dispatched to makeshift Japanese internment camps.
Despite the internment of their family members, young Japanese-American men fought bravely in Italy, France and Germany between 1943 and 1945 as members of the U.S. Army’s 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. By the end of the war, the 100th had become the most decorated combat unit of its size in U.S. Army history.” This unfortunately enforced racism and prejudice in our country.
Overall home life during WW2 changed significantly with women stepping into a different role in order to maintain things at home, and resources being scarce and citizens needing to become thrifty in order to make do with what they had. Unemployment went down bringing citizens of America greater security and ending the Depression.
“Digital History.” Www.digitalhistory.uh.edu, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3493.
History.com Editors. “Home Front during World War II: Rationing | HISTORY.” HISTORY, 24 Mar. 2010, www.history.com/articles/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii.
Library Of Congress. “World War II | Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress.” Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, Library of Congress, 2019, www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/world-war-ii/.
Despite the internment of their family members, young Japanese-American men fought bravely in Italy, France and Germany between 1943 and 1945 as members of the U.S. Army’s 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry. By the end of the war, the 100th had become the most decorated combat unit of its size in U.S. Army history.” This unfortunately enforced racism and prejudice in our country.
Overall home life during WW2 changed significantly with women stepping into a different role in order to maintain things at home, and resources being scarce and citizens needing to become thrifty in order to make do with what they had. Unemployment went down bringing citizens of America greater security and ending the Depression.
“Digital History.” Www.digitalhistory.uh.edu, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3493.
History.com Editors. “Home Front during World War II: Rationing | HISTORY.” HISTORY, 24 Mar. 2010, www.history.com/articles/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii.
Library Of Congress. “World War II | Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress.” Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, Library of Congress, 2019, www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/world-war-ii/.