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Rosie
the
Riveter
Fictional, symbolic poster character during World War II (1939-1945)
Part
of the
US
government's
publicity
campaign
to
encourage
women
to
join
the
workforce,
as men
left
for
the
war.
Depicted
as an
attractive,
rosy-cheeked
woman
dressed
in
work
clothes.
Designed
to
make
the
idea
of
working
outside
the
home
attractive
and
patriotic
rather
than
unfeminine.
6
million
women
joined
the
workforce.
Other
women
joined
the
war
effort
as
nurses,
doctors,
journalists,
soldiers
and
spies.
After
the
war
ended
in
1945,
most
of
these
women
lost
their
jobs.
Working
outside
the
home
became
more
acceptable
for
middle-class
women.
Rationing
Americans
at
home
helped
the
war
effort
by
rationing.
Rationing
was to
ensure
that
everybody
was
able
to
receive
equal
amounts
of raw
materials.
Material
was
used
for
the
war
effort,
but
the
public
could
still
have
access.
Some
products
that
were
rationed
during
WWII
were
sugar,
meat,
coffee,
fuel
oil,
gasoline,
rubber,
and
automobiles.
Rubber
was
the
most
vital
product
rationed.
Its
limited
use
affected
America
in
many
ways.
Cars, shoes, tires, typewriters, etc.
Rubber
was a
necessary
material
during
war
time.
9/10ths
of our
nation's
supply
of
crude
rubber
came
from
the
Far
East.
This
was
the
first
and
last
time
America
had
been
forced
into
commodity
rationing.
Minorities
during
WW2
African Americans responded to WW2 with uncertainty. They didn’t really view it as their war.
2
million
jobs
in the
war
industry,1
million
African
Americans
served
in the
Armed
Forces,
but
suffered
segregation
and
discrimination.
Positive
experiences
overseas
made
African
Americans
unwilling
to
accept
racial
restrictions
in the
US.
After
the
bombing
of
Pearl
Harbor,
Japanese
American
were
under
suspicion
Pres.
Roosevelt
drew
up
Executive
Order
9066
to
clear
sensitive
areas
of all
threat
of
spying
and
sabotage,
Hawaiian
Japanese
were
not
relocated.
Evacuation
began
in
California,
Oregon
and
Washington
in
March
1942.
Their
property
was
sold,
on
short
notice,
for
below
market
value.
No
effort
was
made
to
determine
loyalty
or
disloyalty.
There
wasn’t
a
single
incident
of
sabotage
on
mainland.
1 in
Ni’ihau
No
removal
of
Germans
or
Italians
took
place
The
camps
were
in
barren
arid
areas,
like
Manzanar
in
California
The
Internment
camps
had
minimal
schools
or
recreational
facilities,
lived
in
barracks,
with a
cots,
a bare
light
bulb,
only
partial
walls
for
privacy,
fenced
in
perimeters
and
towers
with
armed
guards.
Women
and
Propaganda
During World War II images of women were used in propaganda posters.
War
time
propaganda
illustrated
the
idea
that
the
enemy
posed
a
direct
threat
to
"our"
women.
The
women
for
soldiers’
posters
portrayed
women
as
ideas
of
goodness
and
home
or as
the
spoils
of
war.
US
home
front
posters
portrayed
strong
women,
importance
of
frugality
or the
dangers
of
gossipy
women.
Axis
propaganda
used
women
to
alienate
Allied
soldiers
from
each
other.
Informed
Allied
soldiers
that
other
Allied
soldiers
were
having
sex
with
“their”
women
while
they
were
in
combat.
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copyright Michelle Kehoe MMIX |
