Notes 6: The Home Front

Modern US History

Unit 3 WWII

April 8th, 2011

The Home Front

The front line is the line on which battles are fought

The home front is when American citizens worked to support the war effort through acts on American soil

Thriving Industry In early 1942, American

industries decided a change must be made in order to support the war abroad. Many of the factories around the country were retooled to produce tanks, planes, boats or command cars. Some were converted to factories that made war products that weren’t even related to what was originally made in the factory.

Thriving Industry

Mechanical pencils manufacturer → Bomb Parts

Bed spread manufacturer → Mosquito netting

Soft drinks manufacturer → Filling shells with explosives

Thriving Industry

To ensure that inflation stayed down and that armed forces and war industries received the resources they needed to win the war, the government created the War Production Board (WPB).

Thriving Industry

The WPB decided which companies to convert to wartime production and helped to distribute raw materials to the important areas. The WPB organized drives to collect scrap iron, tin cans, paper, rags and cooking fat to be recycled into war goods.

Liberty Ships

At the same time, shipyards and defense plants expanded to accommodate the growing demand for naval vessels and other munitions. By the end of 1942, seven new shipyards had been built around the country.

Liberty Ships

Each of these yards and 10 others turned out Liberty Ships – large cargo ships that came to be synonymous with American wartime industrial output. The ships were named after famous Americans, starting with the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.

Liberty Ships

Two of these shipyards were located in near Portland, OR near St. John and Swan Island. The Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation pumped out over 1,000 liberty ships during WWII. To this day, two liberty ships are still docked in downtown Portland and act as floating docks.

Liberty Ships

Tankers, troop transports and small aircraft carriers were also built at these ships cards. Originally taking 230 days, the time it took to manufacture a liberty ship was reduced to four days.

Liberty Ships

The ships could be turned out in record time thanks to the complete mobilization of the work force, the use of pre-fabricated parts and a new workforce who were able to perform their jobs at record speeds.

Rosie the Riveter Campaign

Rosie the riveter is a cultural icon from WWII that represented the women who went to work in the factories to support the war abroad.

Rosie the Riveter Campaign

As the war claimed many of the young men who worked in the factories women across the country left home to replace the men who had left for war. They worked in manufacturing plants to produce munitions and other supplies.

Rosie the Riveter Campaign

The term Rosie the Riveter was first used in 1942 in a song and became a national hit. A riveter was someone who use a machine to put rivets (a metal bolt) in place to hold two large pieces of metal together – like on a liberty ship or tank.

Rosie the Riveter

What is this cartoon saying about the expectations of women in the workforce?

Rosie the Riveter Campaign

By 1944 there were around 20 million women in the work force – a 57% increase since 1940. However, women were expected to be both productive in their industries but also maintain the home, including their children. They were also paid significantly less than their male counterparts. At the end of the war, women were expected to resume their role as homemakers.

Rosie the Riveter Campaign

Rosie the Riveter

War Bonds and Rationing At the onset of the war,

the government feared that like during WWI, the US would experience extreme inflation. One way that they worked to keep this from happening was to encourage people to buy war bonds. A War bond is an investment that helps to finance the war effort.

War Bonds and Rationing

Aside from working to control inflation during the war, the government also set up a system for rationing.

Rationing established a fixed amount of goods that could be distributed to the general population so more could be sent to troops abroad

War Bonds and Rationing

Under this system, households received ration books that essentially were books of coupons. These coupons allowed people to buy scarce goods such as meat, shoes, sugar, coffee and gasoline.

War Bonds and Rationing

A ration board was established in each town, which distributed ration books. The books were given to each member of the family and came with a set of instructions, as well as a list of businesses where they could be used. The ration stamps were NOT money, but were needed in order to purchase the goods

War Bonds and Rationing

The rationing of gas was hardest on those in the west, as they tended to live farther apart. Most Americans though looked at rationing as a personal contribution to the war effort.

War Bonds and Rationing

People were encouraged to plant Victory Gardens at home or in public parks. These gardens consisted of fruits, veggies and herbs, and were meant to reduce the pressure on food suppliers. This was another way to support the troops overseas.

War Bonds and Rationing

Women in the Military For many women, joining the

workforce was simply not enough – they decided to join the military. The Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) was established in May 1942 and in the first day nearly 13,000 women applied to join. These were the first women to serve in the US military aside from nurses.

Women in the Military

While most women served stateside, many were sent overseas to combat areas – nearly 8,000 women served in North Africa and Europe and another 5,000 in the Pacific. More than 500 women earned combat decorations.

AAWPBL

When men went off to war, it was not just manufacturers who were affected. During WWII many of male minor league baseball teams disbanded – fearing that this trend would spread to the major leagues, Philip Wrigley (as in Wrigley gum) decided to take some precautions. Wrigley established the All American Women’s Professional Baseball League (AAWPBL).

AAWPBL

Wrigley sent scouts around the country to find girls to try out for the league. 280 women showed up for try outs in Wrigley Field – 60 made the league.

AAWPBL

In the 1943 season there were only four teams, but over the next few years the league grew. By 1946 there were eight teams. The teams consisted of 15 women, a manager and coach and female chaperone. Wrigley and his investors believed that hiring former MLB stars as the coaches would peak interest and draw a crowd.

AAWPBL Women were expected to

attend charm school classes after practice during spring training. In addition each player was given a beauty kit, along with instructions on how to use it. They were supposed to help the war effort but maintain their femininity at the same time.

Entertainment During the War

Because so many Americans were able to get work from defense contractors, a large part of the population suddenly found themselves with spending money for the first time in almost a decade. Between 1941-1945 the amount spent on books and entertainment doubled.

Entertainment During the War

More than half the population started to go to movies each week, which drove Hollywood to produce new films ranging from war epics to romances to comedies. Some of the most famous movies that came out of the 1940’s include Casablanca, It’s a Wonderful Life and Fantasia.

Entertainment During the War

The publishing industry also experienced a boom, as new magazines such as Life, Look and Time were able to bring the war to the public, both in words and pictures. Radio audiences also reached record levels as many tuned in for war reports or other beloved radio shows.

Pin Up Girls

A Pin up is essentially a picture of a famous model or actress who is considered to be a sex symbol. During WWII many GI’s put up pictures of women such as Betty Grable, Ingrid Bergman and Rita Hayworth in their lockers, or even carried them around in their packs.

Pin Up Girls

How are the images of Pin Up Girls in the 1940’s different from portrayals of women today?

USO

The United Services Organization (USO) is a non-profit organization that provides morale and recreational services to the armed forces. Created in 1941, it worked with the Department of Defense to be a ‘home away from home’ for soldiers abroad. The USO created centers were servicemen could go to watch movies or for dances or to just sit quietly and write a letter.

USO The organization became

most famous however for it’s Camp Shows where young Hollywood stars would come and perform for the troops. From 1941-1947 there were over 400,000 performances including such performers as Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and most famously Bob Hope.

USO Bob Hope was a famous

comedian who was popular on Broadway, on the radio, in films and eventually on TV. He became the face of the USO and performed countless shows to support the US troops. In 1996 Congress named him the “first and only honorary veteran of the US armed forces.”

Propaganda

Although the boom in entertainment boosted the spirits of the men and women at home, it also gave the US government the platform it needed to spread war propaganda throughout the country to encourage patriotism and continued support in the war.

Propaganda

Cartoons Propaganda takes many forms, but during WWII we begin to see the propaganda come to life. Walt Disney and MGM began to produce short animated cartoons that promoted the purchase of war bonds, promoted patriotism or included discriminatory portrayals of the Axis.