Mobilization for War

The War at Home

Rationing Starting in 1941, the government rationed foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods US government urged citizens to plant "Victory Gardens" Why? Labor and transportation shortages made it hard to harvest and move fruits and vegetables to market Produce was needed to supply allied soldiers abroad Also, if urbanites and suburbanites could produce their own fruit and vegetables, the supply of food would increase, thereby lowering the price the War Department paid for these goods “saving pennies for bombers and tanks”

"Plant more in '44!" Families planted gardens in backyards, empty lots and even city rooftops. Neighbors pooled their resources, planted different kinds of foods and formed cooperatives

Learning to Garden Like today, most Americans did not know how to garden, so elementary how-to materials were provided to the public These pamplets taught the basics of gardening. Topics included: soil health, how to plant, when to plant, how to tend plants, pest identification, suggestions on what to plant

Types of Produce Commonly Cultivated Beans Beets Carrots Peas Radishes Lettuce Spinach Chard Onions Cucumbers Parsley Kohlrabi Summer Squash Corn Parsnips Leeks Turnips Cabbage Brussels Sprouts Broccoli Peppers Cauliflower Tomatoes Eggplant Endive Rutabagas

Canned Foods Families were encouraged to can their own vegetables to save commercial canned goods for the troops In 1943, families bought 315,000 pressure cookers (used in the process of canning), compared to 66,000 in 1942. The result of victory gardening? Nearly 20 million Americans answered the call, supplying approx. 1/3 of the country’s fresh vegetables by 1943 Fruit and vegetables harvested in these home and community plots was estimated to be 9-10 million tons, an amount equal to all commercial production of fresh vegetables In short, the program was a success

Post-WWII After WWII the “victory gardening” policy was dropped, and many Americans did not plant a garden in the spring of 1946 Since the agriculture industry had not yet come back up to full production, there were food shortages that summer

Recycling Govt. encouraged Americans to recycle scrap metal, paper, water and other materials Pots and pans, razor blades, tin cans, old shovels, lipstick tubes…etc were collected Like with the “victory gardens”, marketing slogans were used to boost participation by appealing to American patriotism “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

Rosie the Riveter Represented the women who took over factory jobs once the men left to fight the war. A lot of war supplies (tanks, shells, etc) needed to be made. The women stepped up!

The end