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The effects of great depression
The effects of great depression
The effects of great depression
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William O'Neil's essay "The People Are Willing" illustrates the sacrifices made by American citizens in an effort to win the Second World War. In addition, O'Neil outlines how these sacrifices forced Americans to reexamine the efficacy of certain long held American traditions and institutions. The realities of wartime rationing had challenged the American Dream as citizens found it increasingly difficult to secure their basic necessities. Beyond conscription, the American government was learning to master the neglected resource of civilian wartime aid and the emergence of the cultural icon, Rosie the Riveter, indicated a significant transformation of traditional gender roles.
Despite the social and economic hardships of The Great Depression
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American nationalism was at a high following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Upon the confirmation of America’s entries in the Second World War recruiting offices across the country where flooded with volunteers. War enthusiasm was so engrained in the culture that Arkansas, one of the state hardest hit by the combination of The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression, had over two hundred thousand Arkansans (more than ten percent of the population) serving in the armed forces by the end of the war. The entire Lepanto, Arkansas high school football team enlisted in the Navy. After an enlistment denial for not meeting military physical standard one team member attempted suicide for fear of being perceived a coward. Strong-willed efforts to back the war were not unique to Arkansas. Non-government organizations (NGOs) assembled nationwide to consider ways to aid the war. Volunteerism on the home-front was viewed as a virtue to most Americans of the World War II period.
Citizens, especially those who could not enlisted in the Military for medical or other reasons, took immense pride and care in providing for the physical and social welfare of servicemen and women overseas and at home. While Americans were anxious to give of their time and resources the American government had not instituted effective channels to reap the benefits of civilian wartime aid. Some members of the American legislative body completely ignored this human resource. Beyond making donations, purchasing war bonds and stamps and practicing conservation little was expected of the average citizen. The local media and Hollywood constantly encouraged the public of their financial duties, bombarding them with such slogans as “we are in this together”. The American government had become efficient in extracting monetary support from the nation however, they neglected to tap into the workforce that was ready and willing to be employed for wartime …show more content…
interests. While the government was engaged in the slow process of developing programs to take full advantage of civil support, the nation was not idle.
Organizations such as a Newfoundland Patriotic Association (NPA), and The Red Cross stepped up to relieve wartime tensions. The NPA was comprised of Veterans from the First World War, prominent citizens and politicians. The group’s mission was to create social services that promoted recruitment for military service and supported dependents of soldiers serving overseas. In addition, they ensured that service member returning from their duties had pensions, and work programs. The Red Cross’ mission was to care for the survivors of military combat. They donated medical supplies to local hospital, provided in home care for seriously injured veteran, offer first aid classes, and conducted blood
drives. The most diligent group of volunteers on the home front was women. Women overcame traditional conceptions of the American female gender role. With the majority of able body men serving in the war, women stepped up to tackle responsibilities normally reserved for men. American factories expanded to accommodate wartime production and women were an integral part of the labor force. The cultural icon Rosie the Riveter, depicted an American woman hard at work and was created by the media to encourage women to take on these new jobs and gender roles. Although barred from combat women also joined the military as nurses, stenographers, an accepted a myriad of clerical position so that more men could serve in combat. It was in the communities at home where the effort of women could be realized the most. On top of raising their children and managing their homes women organized committees to aid in fund raising, host troops, recycled scarce materials, and tended to victory gardens. Noteworthy female organization began to arise around the nation, Missouri’s Powder Puff Platoon, Washington’s Green Guards, and Boston’s Women’s Defense School were all invaluable partners not just in providing war aid but also transforming the idea of what women could accomplish. The most successful group organized by women was the America Women’s Voluntary Services (AWVS), which had upwards of three hundred thousand members in every state. The AWVS was unique in that it pushed pass not only gender barriers of the period but racial barriers as well. The AWVS found by Anglophile socialites included chapters of Hispanic, Black, and Taos tribeswomen , all of whom worked tirelessly for American interest. The People Are Willing illustrated that World War II was a desperate time, which called for desperate measures. More importantly, the essay revealed that desperate measures can eradicate archaic traditions and institutions that that may be holding a society back from social evolution. The war simultaneously ended the Depression, validated women’s worth and force the government to recognize that the power of the civilian patriot is a resource that has capabilities beyond monetary support. The hardships of war proved to mature America; as the nation continually moves towards a fair balance between freedom and equality.
In 1960, at the age of twenty-four, Philip Caputo enlists in the United Sates Marine Corps in hopes of escaping his relaxed lifestyle in the quaint town of Westchester, Illinois. Caputo is interested in proving himself a man and earning respect in response to President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address to the nation. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” are the famous words that pushed many young men into the patriotic world of enlistment, in order to defend American ideals. Caputo’s expectations of the war in Vietnam are to achieve heroic acts, finish his missions quickly and efficiently, get out in one piece, and return home to a supportive country interested in his heroic adventures.
Rosie the riveter was the face of recruiting women into the Armed Forces during WWII. The increasing demand for soldiers was not being filled fast enough by just males. As a result, between the years 1940 and 1945, the percentage of female service members increased from 27% to 37%. Even on the civilian side of things, the ratio of married working women outside of their homes increased to one out of every four. The population of women that did not join the war was prompted by Rosie the Riveter’s iconic image of working in one of the many munitions industries throughout the US.
Even though the real-life munitions worker was one of the basis of the Rosie campaign it took on a persona of its own. This persona was a fictitious character that was strong and bandanna-clad (“American Women in World War II”). Rosie was one of the most success recruitment tools in American history, and one of the most iconic images of working women during World War II. The most prominent image of Rosie the Riveter popularized in American culture was the version featured on the “We Can Do It!” posters created by the United States government (Hawkes). The Rosie the government made has a resemblance to Rockwell’s Rosie, but she is less masculine. This propaganda poster of Rosie the Riveter employed by the United States government was popular because she appealed to the sense of patriotism and common goal of the Second World War. Upgraded Rosie also showed that women could retain their femininity and womanhood in their service. Every Rosie the Riveter image played to this prevailing sense of patriotism that abounded in America during World War II. Patriotism was used as a primary motivator to recruit women for war work. Most American women had husbands, brothers, sons, and fiancés fighting on the frontlines of the war, so the women felt compelled to provide to make a contribution as citizens at home. Most of the time woman had to take care of their children and household while
Michael C. C. Adams' book, The Best War Ever: America and World War II, attempts to dispel the numerous misconceptions of the Second World War. As the title suggests, Americans came out of the war with a positive view of the preceding five turbulent years. This myth was born from several factors. Due to the overseas setting of both theaters of the war, intense government propaganda, Hollywood's glamorization, and widespread economic prosperity, Americans were largely sheltered form the brutal truth of World War II. Even to this day, the generation of World War II is viewed as being superior in morality and unity. The popular illusion held that 'there were no ethnic or gender problems, families were happy and united, and children worked hard in school and read a great number of books.' (115)
This campaign mission must convey the importance of the programs the WWP provides and stress the need for the financial support of the public. WWP over the years has demonstrated that it is successful at raising funds for its organization and programs with an extensive list of corporate sponsors (Current Corporate Sponsors, n.d.). An area that the WWP has not developed is a marketing campaign that targets Americans age 25-40 years old who are the exact same age as veterans the WWP is dedicated to serving. Focusing on this age group similarity in our campaign would allow our target audience to identify with the WWP alumni while at the same time increasing awareness about the WWP. While the monetary donations may not add up to the big donations from corporations, brining public awareness to the organization will allow the organization to expand nationally and have locations in all 50
Woodrow Wilson delivered his now-famous War Message to Congress on April 4, 1917. Four days later, Congress declared war and the United States became a formal partner in the war to end all wars. As the Wilson administration was to discover, however, declaring war and making war were two very different propositions. The former required only an abstract statement of ideals and justifications and a two-thirds Congressional majority; the latter required the massive mobilization of virtually every sector of American society - military, industrial, and economic, as well as public opinion. The Wilson administration sought to accomplish this daunting task in two concomitant and interdependent fashions. First, it undertook an unprecedented assumption of federal control and regulation. The federal government established an array of bureaus and agencies endowed with sweeping powers to regulate the nation’s economy and industrial production. Furthermore, it passed a series of laws designed to support these agencies and to stifle what it deemed subversive antiwar opinion and activity. Second, and of equal importance, the administration appealed to the public’s patriotism and sense of civic responsibility, effectively encouraging volunteerism in both the public and private sectors. Each of these tacks was bulwarked by a pervasive dose of pro-war government propaganda. In the end, in terms of raising an army, mobilizing the economy and influencing the outcome of the war, the administration’s mobilization efforts were largely successful. However, there were significant consequences to the government’s actions, most acutely in the realm of civil liberties, both during and in the aftermath of the war.
“At the war’s end, even though a majority of women surveyed reported wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home and by the downturn in demand for war materials… The nation that needed their help in
The film titled, “The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter”, looks at the roles of women during and after World War II within the U.S. The film interviews five women who had experienced the World War II effects in the U.S, two who were Caucasian and three who were African American. These five women, who were among the millions of women recruited into skilled male-oriented jobs during World War II, shared insight into how women were treated, viewed and mainly controlled. Along with the interviews are clips from U.S. government propaganda films, news reports from the media, March of Time films, and newspaper stories, all depicting how women are to take "the men’s" places to keep up with industrial production, while reassured that their duties were fulfilling the patriotic and feminine role. After the war the government and media had changed their message as women were to resume the role of the housewife, maid and mother to stay out of the way of returning soldiers. Thus the patriotic and feminine role was nothing but a mystified tactic the government used to maintain the American economic structure during the world war period. It is the contention of this paper to explore how several groups of women were treated as mindless individuals that could be controlled and disposed of through the government arranging social institutions, media manipulation and propaganda, and assumptions behind women’s tendencies which forced “Rosie the Riveter” to become a male dominated concept.
The role of women in American history has evolved a great deal over the past few centuries. In less than a hundred years, the role of women has moved from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. As events in history have shaped the present world, one can find hidden in such moments, pivotal points that catapult destiny into an unforeseen direction. This paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who represented the powerful working class women during World War II and how her personification has helped shape the future lives of women.
Jeffries, John. Wartime America: The World War II Home Front. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1996. Print. American Way.
The images created by propaganda poster had a dramatic effected on convincing many women to choose nursing as a career and dedicate their efforts to serve their country by enlisting in the Red Cross and the United States military. “Over 350,000 American women volunteered to serve in the armed forces during World War II. More than 59,000 of those women were registered nurses, who volunteered to serve in the United States Army Nurse Corps” (Monahan and Greenlee pg.
During the war, men were off fighting for America, and the women were left behind to take over their jobs in the factories. Women proved that they can do almost all of the same jobs as men. Rosie the Riveter, a picture of a woman flexing with a caption of “We Can Do It,” became the symbol for women all across the nation. After the war, years later, women began to receive equal pay for the same jobs that the men were doing. Many other minority groups, such as African Americans, played a huge
The 1940s provided a drastic change in women’s employment rates and society's view of women. With the end of the Depression and the United States’ entrance into World War II, the number of jobs available to women significantly increased. As men were being drafted into military service, the United States needed more workers to fill the jobs left vacant by men going to war. Women entered the workforce during World War II due to the economic need of the country. The use of Patriotic rhetoric in government propaganda initiated and encouraged women to change their role in society. Yet, at the end of the war, the same ideas that encouraged women to accept new roles had an averse affect on women, encouraging them to leave the workforce. The patriotism promoted by propaganda in the 1940s, encouraged Americans to support the war effort and reinforced the existing patriarchal society. Propaganda's use of patriotism not only increased loyalty to America during the war, but also, increased loyalty to the traditional American patriarchal values held in society.
As men and women serve this country we often forget the importance of what they did and how we give back to them for what they have experienced. Through student surveys that have been gathered, it has been proven in the course of knowledge that 80% of all thirty students surveyed that say they know of someone who is or was a veteran and only 57% of those Veterans receive help. Richelle E. Goodrich stated, “Have you ever stopped to ponder the amount of blood spilt, the volume of tears shed, the degree of pain and anguish endured, the number of noble men a...
This year, the United States is set to end over a decade of continuous combat operations in Afghanistan as well as reduce the size of the military in an effort to restrain the growing deficit of the federal government. While some welcome these actions, they will have a significant effect on the men and women of the armed forces. Since the military is now focused on returning to a peacetime posture and cutting personnel, more veterans will be entering the civilian market. These men and women, who come from all walks of American life, will have had vastly different experiences than their civilian counterparts. These veterans will have spent their formative years in a wartime military and while they have so much to offer society, often, their service and they as individuals are stereotyped with unflattering characteristics by civilian managers, which has a negative impact during their post-military search for employment. Some civilians see them as uneducated and suffering from a host of mental problems related to their service. This problem is not only relevant for recent veterans but for all of those who have volunteered to serve in the military. Veteran unemployment is a serious problem for the United States. Those who choose to serve in the military should not be negatively impacted in the civilian marketplace as a result of their sacrifice.