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Changing America During Wwii

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Submitted By jschelkun
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References

1) Honey, Maureen, Creating Rosie the Riveter: Class, Gender and Propaganda during World War II, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1984

2) “World War II and the American Home Front” National Parks Service. Ed. Marilyn Harper. National Parks Service. 15 March 2012.

Changing America during World War II

America had gone through a vast amount of changes during its short time as a nation. We had seen civil war, global war, industrial advancements, and economic depression. But by the mid 20th century, the United States was emerging as a multi-cultural powerhouse. The US saw an influx of immigrants from Italy, Ireland and Eastern Europe, all coming with hopes of opportunities and a better life. Those that toughed it out saw their chances come to life when World War II began.

Although the war began in 1939, the US remained neutral on account of not wanting to participate in another war that could push our nation into debt and despair. FDR revised the Neutrality Acts that Congress passed in 1935 so that we could aid our allies for a profit. Our labor forces began working to supply our overseas comrades in Britain and France. Once the U.S was forced to join the war in 1941 because of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the demand for industrial labor greatly increased so that we could now arm and support our own troops. Production increased on all fronts, from shipbuilding and aircrafts to textiles and medicine.

Because of our involvement in the war and deployment of our troops, the United States began to see radical changes on our home front with minorities and women. Although the civil rights movements and women’s rights movements began long before the war, they gained their momentum during this time. Women and African Americans began to break out of their traditionally oppressed roles and redefine their place in our

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