“They have given their sons to the military services. They have stoked the furnaces and hurried the factory wheels. They have made the planes and welded the tanks, riveted the ships and rolled the shells.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
World War II not only shaped a generation, but it also had lasting effects on the United States that are still felt today. A country barely recovered from World War I, the excess of the roaring ‘20s, and the economic collapse that heralded the Great Depression, America was a nation still trying to find its balance on the eve of the Second World War.
A period of excess after the First World War had seen an increase in spending, with automobiles becoming ever popular and the radio becoming a staple in American homes. With the ability to purchase an automobile, many families had begun leaving the city for life in the suburbs, since they now had transportation to bring them into the city for work. But the stock market crash in 1929 brought a halt to prosperity and plunged the nation into the Great Depression, with millions becoming unemployed, many of them battling homelessness or living in shantytowns.*
With the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the presidency, America began a slow climb out of economic depression through his New Deal programs. It was a climb assisted by the advent of World War II and the necessity of planning for and then engaging in war efforts. Though much of the focus tends to be on the battlefronts and the effects of a second great war on America’s military history, those at home were a large part of the war effort. From rationing, to patriotism, to women entering the work force at previously unseen numbers, and even the way in which Americans received their news, those at home were not only affected by the war but also instrumental to American victory.
While we largely think of the battlegrounds of World War II taking place far from American soil, the war reached America’s shores, both in the contiguous United States and in the territories America held. German U-boats sunk hundreds of merchant ships and disrupted the flow of goods along the Atlantic Coast. Japanese planes and submarines attacked as far west as Oregon and California, bombed the Alaska Territory and invaded the Alaskan islands of Attu and Kiska. American citizens were killed and wounded in these conflicts, reinforcing the importance of American’s involvement in the war. Across the country, Americans kept their lights off at night and watched for enemy aircraft, knowing that an attack could come at any time.
Americans stepped up and into the domestic war effort in a big way. Factories quickly reworked their buildings to produce products to aid in the war effort, running around the clock, with women stepping in to handle many of the jobs traditionally held by men. Outside of factories, women took on other professional roles as well, bolstering a medical industry reeling from a loss of doctors and nurses to the battlefronts; entering journalism to ensure Americans received relevant news from both abroad and at home; and meeting a need wherever possible in countless other professions.
Americans rationed goods and services as needed to assist in the war effort. Food products and gas quickly became rationed, while goods like toys, cars, and refrigerators completely disappeared from the market. Items such as fabric became scarce as the need for uniforms, bandages, and other items increased in demand. The government banned suit vests, and the two-piece bathing suit for women gained in popularity. Food staples like sugar were among the first rationed items, with sugar also holding the tile as the last rationed item, only coming off the rationed list in 1947.
As a result of rationing, recipe adaptations became commonplace, and a need for food preservation rose. Community canning centers opened, providing training and equipment to the communities they served, while government agencies sponsored publications and training centers focused on teaching things like proper techniques for canning, pickling, and preserving of food. The need to ensure proper food rations for those serving overseas led to the rise of Victory Gardens at home. By 1945, over half of American households were growing a Victory Garden, and roughly 40% of the country’s vegetables were being produced by these gardens. Even illustrious figures, both real and fictional, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Batman, and Superman had Victory Gardens.
In other ways, Americans were closer to the battlefront than ever before. The radio provided a means for broadcasters to provide real-time war news directly into American homes. President Roosevelt’s weekly Fireside Chats were heard by millions of Americans eager for updates and reassurance from their country’s leader. Radio shows produced pro-war, pro-American messages to promote patriotism and support for war efforts. Social pressure to show patriotism was prevalent. Besides Victory Gardens, homes displayed service flags, and women wore sweetheart jewelry (predominantly made of plastics to conserve metals for military use) indicating their husbands, boyfriends, or fiancés were away fighting. Businesses participated in war bond drives and displayed flags and posters.
No matter where you lived in the United States during World War II, you were touched by the war. After the war concluded, servicemen returned home. Over 50 million Americans had registered for the draft by the end of the war, with over 10 million serving. More than 6 million women had entered the workforce during the war, but most were expected to return to more traditional female roles at war’s end. It wasn’t a smooth transition. There was a housing shortage, the economy that had boomed during wartime suffered from inflation, and women chafed against returning to the traditional roles they had performed pre-war.
World War II changed American history forever, not only military history but social history as well. Organizations like the NAACP, who during the war and after ramped up their legal campaign against discrimination, demanded social change and equality. Women became increasingly unhappy being relegated to their traditional pre-war roles, having proved to the nation that they could hold and succeed at traditionally male-dominated industries. The return of the automobile and other advances led to the importance of suburban America, and a change in commerce led to the expansion of road networks and the advent of the large grocery store and other convenience stores. The ramifications of the war reverberate even today, continuing to influence the social changes, innovations, and ideas begun during the rise of the Greatest Generation.
We invite you to visit the Wright Museum and experience what the home front was like during World War II through our Home Front Gallery.
* By 1933, the national unemployment rate stood at almost 25%.
Note: Information in this article was taken from the National Park Service series “The American Home Front and World War II.”
