State Historical Society of Iowa
Unlike more recent conflicts where the U.S. relied on a volunteer army, World War II engaged the efforts of the entire civilian population. All males between the ages of 18 to 35 had to register for the draft. Rationing of food, gasoline, tires and clothing required life style changes. With American soldiers fighting on two fronts around the globe, families and friends anxiously awaited for reports of the war's progress and casualties.
American agriculture supported not only our own troops but the military and civilian populations of our Allies. Food rationing and victory gardens at home made more resources available for Great Britain, Russia and other military partners. Farmers managed to produce more livestock, grains, cotton and other supplies in the face of worker shortages due to the military call-up of farm labor. New farm equipment was in short supply as factories shifted to tanks, jeeps and armaments, but farmers learned to repair and share existing machinery. Women also stepped into farm production and management roles in place of husbands, fathers and sons. In Iowa, the Extension Service at Iowa State provided valuable information to farm families and relayed information from Washington on wartime regulations and best farming practices.
Moving into full wartime production required a quick expansion of the labor market in the face of the loss of males heading into service. To fill the gap, the American government and factories made a push to encourage women to take jobs they had never held before. "Rosie the Riveter" was a campaign that praised women who took manufacturing positions once reserved for men. Patriotic appeals to women to support the troops helped to overcome traditional views of women's place as in the home raising children. However, while patriotism was one motivation, the higher paychecks from factory work were more persuasive. Still, traditional views of women's role in the home and raising children kept the government from providing government day care or domestic assistance to ease women's wartime burden.
One ugly product of war is that it encourages combatants to demonize the enemy. Japanese-American families on the West Coast were forced into internment camps just because of their ethnicity. The U.S. Supreme Court even upheld the order citing the need to protect the country against espionage. In Iowa, there was much less sympathy for Germany than in World War I because of the negative opinions toward Adolf Hitler, but public sentiment threatened any expressions of pro-German attitudes with swift retribution. Furthermore, opposition to government policies or refusal to support war efforts were seen as potential evidence of disloyalty. While sincere patriotism ran high, many people conformed to wartime demands from fear of drawing charges of letting down our troops.
While it was difficult to protest unfair treatment during the war, several groups pressed for more favorable policies after the war. At the University of Iowa, returning African-American veterans demanded the right to live in university dormitories that they had been denied before the war, and the university ended its segregation policies. Three Des Moines activists successfully picketed Katz Drug Store to end its practice of denying service to African Americans. President Harry Truman ended segregation in the armed forces in 1948 against strong opposition from southern politicians. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were unconstitutional, a milestone in civil rights. Women did not fare as well. Many labor unions allowed returning veterans to take the jobs of female wartime workers even when women protested that they had served effectively in those positions. Women were encouraged to put the needs of veterans first and sacrifice their own interests.
World War II engaged the entire population unlike any conflict since. Whether in the military or the civilian population, war needs came first and people were encouraged to support them by both positive rewards and threats for refusal.
| World War II: Homefront Teaching Guide |
| Printable Image and Document Guide |
Given the increase in servicemen to 2.2 million during World War II, the need for labor was high. Recruitment of women into jobs became part of the War Manpower Commission, which added a women's advisory committee made up of prominent women tasked wit...
Often the focus of women's work during World War II on the home front has been in the factory. The photograph shows another way women supported their country by keeping the railroads open and various resources, such as food or weapons, moving across t...
African-American women faced extra hurdles to employment in defense industries until Executive Order 8802, which banned discrimination in the job sector. Even after this order was issued, African Americans faced discrimination and segregation in accessing...
The iconic image of Rosie the Riveter is maybe what most Americans think of when discussing the contributions of American women on the homefront. The work of these women in defense plants and related industries was vital to both the war effort and challen...
The Women's Land Army was originally established during World War I as a response to the farm labor shortage created when men were called to military service or moved into factory jobs. Women in the organization, called "Farmerettes," were t...
Without due process, the government gave everyone of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast only days to decide what to do with their houses, farms, businesses and other possessions. Most families sold their belongings at a significant loss. Some rent...
In early July 1941, millions of jobs were being created, primarily in urban areas, as the United States prepared for war. When large numbers of African Americans moved to cities in the north and west to work in defense industries, they were often met with...
The photograph shows an example of the type of workplace, in part, made possible by the Executive Order 8802. Women, one African American, one Latina and two white, are shown working together in this factory in a desegregated working environment.
The Tuskegee Airmen, officially known as the 332nd fighter group, were the first African Americans to fly planes in the U.S. military. Although they faced severe discrimination in the country and mandates of Jim Crow laws in the South, they volunteered in...
This photograph is part of a larger collection given by photographer Ansel Adams to the Library of Congress. The 200 images he captured came from the Manzanar Relocation Camp in California. When presenting these images to the Library, Adams wrote in a let...
The Korematsu case was brought to the U.S. Supreme Court by Fred Korematsu to challenge Japanese internment. It has been regarded as one of the worst decisions handed down by the Court. Korematsu did not initially comply with Executive Order 9066, and the...
The papers of A. Philip Randolph document his protests against segregation, particularly in the armed forces and defense industries during the war. Randolph led a successful movement during World War II to end segregation in defense industries by threaten...
In early July 1941, millions of jobs were being created, primarily in urban areas, as the United States prepared for war. When large numbers of African Americans moved to cities in the north and west to work in defense industries, they were often met with...
The photograph shows an example of the type of workplace, in part, made possible by the Executive Order 8802. Women, one African American, one Latina and two white, are shown working together in this factory in a desegregated working environment.
The Tuskegee Airmen, officially known as the 332nd fighter group, were the first African Americans to fly planes in the U.S. military. Although they faced severe discrimination in the country and mandates of Jim Crow laws in the South, they volunteered in...
This video from Iowa Public Television focuses on how the company Maytag was one of the first Iowa companies to stop producing consumer goods and start making war supplies. Their actions included hiring many women to support the war effort, too.
This webpage on the National World War II Museum's website focuses on what was happening in the United States during the war. It includes articles, photographs and more.
This website from PBS provides many resources that focuses on World War II on the ground in Europe and at home in the United States. There are articles, videos, photos and more resources to utilize.
This webpage is hosted by the National Women's History Museum and focuses on women's roles in the war effort from the United States.
This website provides a variety of primary sources from the National Archives as well as a brief but informational summary of Japanese-American incarceration.
This podcast from APM Reports and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History chronicles the history of Japanese-American incarceration through first-person accounts of those who lived through it and examines how it happened and its legacy in the present.
This article discusses the Double V Campaign, the effort of African Americans to use their military service and domestic wartime support as a tool to gain social, political, and economic equality.
Listed below are the Iowa Core Social Studies content anchor standards that are best reflected in this source set. The content standards applied to this set are elementary-age level and encompass the key disciplines that make up social studies for students 9th through 12th grade.
| No. | Standard Description |
| SS-Geo.9-12.17. | Analyze how environmental and cultural characteristics of various places and regions influence political and economic decisions. |
| SS-US.9-12.20. | Analyze the growth of and challenges to U.S. involvement in the world in the post-World War II era. |
| SS-US.9-12.22. | Evaluate the impact of inventions and technological innovations on the American society and culture. |
| SS-US.9-12.24. | Critique primary and secondary sources of information with attention to the source of the document, its context, accuracy, and usefulness such as the Reconstruction amendments, Emancipation Proclamation, Treaty of Fort Laramie, Chinese Exclusion Act, Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, Wilson's Fourteen Points, New Deal Program Acts, Roosevelt's Declaration of War, Executive Order 9066, Truman Doctrine, Eisenhower's Farewell Speech, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Test Ban Treaty of 1963, Brown vs. Board of Education decision, Letter from a Birmingham Jail, and the Voting Act of 1965. |
| SS-US.9-12.26. | Determine multiple and complex causes and effects of historical events in American history including, but not limited to, the Civil War, World War I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. |
| SS-US.9-12.27. | Evaluate Iowans or groups of Iowans who have influenced U.S. History. |
| SS-WH.9-12.18. | Assess impact of conflict and diplomacy on international relations. |
| SS-WH.9-12.23. | Critique primary and secondary sources of information with attention to the source of the document, its context, accuracy, and usefulness of sources throughout world history. |
| SS-WH.9-12.25. | Determine multiple and complex causes and effects of historical events within world history. |
| SS-WH.9-12.26. | Assess Iowans or groups of Iowans who have influenced world history. |
