A woman who toiled in the defence industry became known as a ” Rosie the Riveter.”
Today, we will focus on the homefront in the United States during WWII. In tomorrow’s class, we will start to explore the military significance of the conflict. After December 7, 1941, the Japanese attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. was thrust into World War II (1939-45). Everyday life across the country was dramatically altered.
In the earliest days of America’s participation in the war, panic gripped the country. If the Japanese military could successfully attack Hawaii, many people wondered how to prevent a similar assault on the U.S. mainland, particularly along the Pacific coast.
This fear of attack translated into a ready acceptance by most Americans of the need to sacrifice to achieve victory.
Rationing. 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 to buy their allotment of everything from meat, sugar, fat, butter, vegetables and fruit to gas, tires, clothing and fuel oil.
War Work. From the outset of the war, it was clear that enormous quantities of aeroplanes, tanks, warships, rifles and other armaments would be essential to beating America’s aggressors. U.S. workers played a vital role in the production of such war-related materials. Many of these workers were women.
Women. With thousands of American men joining the armed forces, women began working as welders, electricians and riveters in defence plants. Until that time, such positions had been strictly for men only. During the war, the decrease in the availability of men in the workforce also led to an upsurge in the number of women holding non-war-related factory jobs. By the mid-1940s, the percentage of women in the American workforce had expanded from 25 per cent to 36 per cent.
Propaganda. A steady stream of government propaganda educated American citizens about their duty during the War. The propaganda took wide forms, from posters, radio programs, music, and films.
Movie-going included a newsreel, which lasted approximately 10 minutes and was loaded with images and accounts of recent battles, followed by an animated cartoon. As for the main program, movie theatres showed non-war-related dramas, comedies, mysteries and Westerns; however, a significant segment of feature films dealt directly with the war. Meanwhile, some of Hollywood’s top stars joined the military. Many appeared in government-produced training films and morale-boosting short subjects.
As the U.S. was immersed in the war, Americans listened to more patriotic or war-related music. Many of the songs had self-explanatory titles: “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” or “Comin’ In on a Wing and a Prayer.”
Radio was the primary news and entertainment source for most American households during the war. As the conflict progressed, people grew increasingly dependent on the radio for updates on the fighting overseas. Americans listened to frontline reports, such as Edward R. Murrow, located in London. Meanwhile, big bands, most famously the orchestra headed by Glenn Miller (1904-44), and entertainers such as Bob Hope (1903-2003), performed before thousands at military bases. These programs were aired directly on the radio to listeners.
Today, we will focus on another form of wartime propaganda in government-produced posters.
Assignment:
Guns, tanks, and bombs were the principal weapons of World War II, but there were other, more subtle forms of warfare. Posters waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of the American citizenry. From the first days of WW2, the US government launched an aggressive propaganda campaign with a week 5 – Monday – WW2 background. (I will add in the files) Pitfalls and strategies to galvanise public support.
You can find a curated collection of posters here:
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers-of-persuasion
(Links to an external site.).
Different themes and messages organise on these posters. Some focus on the frontline, and others concentrate on the homefront. The posters above focus on two big themes: “patriotic pride” and “staying vigilant.” You will find a wide range of subthemes within each of these categories.
Instructions:
You will design a propaganda poster for the United States government for today’s class. Specifically, your poster is worth 50 points and should contain the following elements:
Your poster must have a clear overall message that fits the theme of “patriotic pride” or “staying vigilant” based on the examples included above. (25 points)
Your poster must include text in the form of a short slogan that supports the overall message of the poster. (10 points)
Your poster must include a clear image of a person, either an American soldier/civilian or a foreign enemy, that supports the overall message of the poster. (10 points)
The choice of colours and graphics should look historically authentic. You can make your poster online to forge your source. Note there is a bonus point available for the most convincing forgeries. (5 points)