American Home Front During WWII

World War II changed the face of the United States in numerous ways.

By, Eileen

The American Home Front

Women in the War

• Woman had to work in the factories because all the men had joined the armed forces

• 17 million women worked during war time• They would work the same type of jobs men would but

didn’t make nearly as much money.• Black and white women worked together• Because so many women worked during the war they wanted to continue working

after the war was over.• This changed the face of women in America

and in the traditional American family.

Food Rationing• Rationings occurred because there wasn’t enough

products for both the home front and across seas for our troops.

• The people who made the food, transported the food, and sold the food were all at war.

• Along with food, gas and clothing were rationed• Not all food was rationed, these foods included:

– eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, dried and dehydrated fruits, fish, shellfish, breads, cereals, milk, spaghetti, macaroni, noodles,poultry, jams, jellies, mayonnaise, salad dressing, and cheeses.

Food Rationing con’t…• Red Stamp rationing:

– This included all meats, butter, fats and oils, and cheese

– Each person was allowed 16 points a week• Blue Stamp rationing:

– This included all canned, bottled and frozen fruits and vegetables and their juices, dry beans, peas, lentils, and processed foods such as soups, baby foods, baked beans, catsup and chili sauce.

– Each person was allowed up to 48 points, but only during certain weeks

• Weeks were divided into A, B and C for Red Stamp rationing and G, H and F for Blue Stamp rationing

Air Raid Drills• Sirens were attached to the

tops of lamp posts. • When a drill was occurring

everyone had to get off of the streets.

• Each street or areas would have a local air raid war zone.

• Who ever lived in the war zone house go out into the street, wearing a white hat, and make sure no one was wandering around.

• This was a practice incase a situation ever occurred.

Victory Gardens

•Victory gardens were gardens planted with fruits and vegetables during war time.

•Families would grow the gardens in their backyards to supply themselves with food because most of the food was being sent overseas to feed the American troops.

Blackout Lights

Blackout Lights

• Blackouts were meant to hide our country from possible German bombings.

• Everyone had to paint all their car headlights from the middle up to the top in black paint.

• Everyone had to shut of all the lights in their houses when a blackout was called.

• The people would practice incase anything did ever happen.

• The blackouts would make it hard for enemy airplanes to see the ground when they were flying at night. They flew at night to hide there identity.

Work Cited• Lewis, Jone Johnson. " World War II Homefront: Black and White Together ." 2001. World

War II Homefront: Black and White Together . World War II Homefront. 30 Nov. 2004 <http://womenshistory.about.com/library/pic/bl_p_wwiihome1.htm>.

• "The National Archives Learning Curve|Home Front." Home Front 1939-1945. http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/homefront/life/ . 01 Dec. 2004 <http://www.learningcurve.gov.uk/homefront/life/>.

• Freeman, Julie D. . "World War II Home Front." 22 Dec 2002. World War II Home Front. World War II Home Front. 01 Dec. 2004 <http://employees.oneonta.edu/richards/145-webpage/145-16/>.

• "Rationing During World War II." 26 May 2001. Rationing During World War II. WWII, Rationing. 01 Dec. 2004 <http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyfulton/Salute/WWIIrations.html>.

• Joseph Hunt, interview

• The United States of America. 03 Dec. 2004 <http://www.dataplace.to/media/maps/United%20States%20of%20America.gif>.

• The Ground Beneath Our Feet. 03 Dec. 2004 <http://www.vahistory.org/WWII/nara/na0014.jpg