chapter_17_section_1_notes.ppt | |
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Shana Orgeck (former student) as Rosie the Riveter
The term "Rosie the Riveter" was first used in 1942 in a song of the same name. Some of the lyrics go like this "All the day long,
whether rain or shine,
she’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter". Rosie remains a cultural icon of the U.S., representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced ammunition and war supplies. These women oftentimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. Rosie the Riveter is still commonly used as a symbol of feminism and women's economic power. When I saw a former student reenacting this picture, I just had to get permission to post this on my website. Thanks Shana!
The Original Poster
In 1942, Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller was hired by the Westinghouse Company's War Production Coordinating Committee to create a series of posters for the war effort. One of these posters became the famous "We Can Do It!" image—an image that in later years would also be called "Rosie the Riveter" because of the popularity of the song during the same time. Miller based the poster on a photograph taken of Ann Arbor, Michigan, factory worker Geraldine Hoff, who was 17 and working as a metal-stamping machine operator. It was displayed for only 2 weeks in mid February of 1943, then it disappeared for nearly four decades. During the war, the name "Rosie" was not associated with the image, and it was not about women's empowerment. It was only later, in the early 1980s when women across the country were fighting for equality throughout society, that the poster was rediscovered, became famous, and associated with feminism.
The Story Behind Rosie the Riveter
War Production Board (WPB)
The War Production Board was a government agency created to convert civilian peacetime industry to war production. The board assigned priorities and provided businesses scarce materials such as steel, aluminum, oil, gasoline, and rubber based on what they felt was most important at the time. The Board also outlawed all nonessential industrial activities (things like nylons were banned), and controlled wages (to prevent strikes and worker unrest). Finally, the Board developed propaganda (like the poster below) to encourage the American public to do what they could to recycle for the war effort. Scrap drives (the next 2 pictures) became common. The largest one (organized on a national level over a 3 week period in October of 1942) resulted in an average of almost 82 pounds of scrap metal and rubber per American being collected (and then melted down and reused) for the war effort.
Walt Disney - Out of the Frying Pan and into the Firing Line
This 3 minute cartoon would have been shown in movie theaters to promote saving cooking oils, grease, and fat for recycling.
Office of Price Administration (OPA)
The U.S. Office of Price Administration (OPA) was created to establish price ceilings (maximum amounts of $$$ a business could charge for a product - see picture below for examples) and to ration essential consumer goods during World War II. War Ration Books began to be issued to each American family in early 1942 and remained a way of life in the U.S. until after the war was over in 1945. These books contained stamps and gave precise details on the amounts of certaintypes of food that you were allowed. Rationing insured that each person could get their fair share of the items that were in short supply due to the war effort and import reductions. Some major items that were rationed out included sugar, coffee, shoes, car tires, and household appliances. By the end of the war, over a hundred million of each ration book were printed. For more information about how Ration Books worked and what could happen to you if you didn't follow the rules, click here and here
Gas Rationing
Gasoline began to be rationed on May 15, 1942 on the East Coast, and nationwide by the end of the year. The OPA issued various ration stickers (to be put on a car’s windshield) and ration cards (to be carried around in your purse or wallet) depending on need. In order to get your stickers and cards, you had to go in front of a local board (shown above) and explain to them what you needed gas for.The ‘A’ sticker (shown below- front and back- by far the most common one) was issued to owners whose use of their cars was nonessential (just to drive to work or for recreational use). In order to get gas from a station, you had to have the sticker on your car (checked by an attendant at the station... pictured below in uniform) and your card would get punched.
Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" Propaganda
This 4:30 minute clip summarizes why a series of films was funded by the U.S. Government and used to condition the American military and public to accept that war was necessary. The majority of Americans wanted no part of another European
conflict before Pearl Harbor. Propaganda films and newsreels were an essential part of convincing the American people that our involvement in the war was necessary.
conflict before Pearl Harbor. Propaganda films and newsreels were an essential part of convincing the American people that our involvement in the war was necessary.
Captain America
Review Video Clip #1 - America Joins the War
The nearly 10 minute clip can be found here