Casdorph Paul D. Let the Good Times Roll: Life at Home in America During WWII.  New York: Paragon House, 1989. 

• “Traditional relationships of every description underwent sweeping changes”(ix)
• Loosened the antiquated shackles of women (ix).
• The government flushed money into the economy to produce war materials thus ending the Great Depression (ix). 

Global War.  The American Destiny: An Illustrated Bicentennial History of the United States.  U.S.A.: The Danbury Press, 1976. 

• Tin cans, empty tubes of toothpaste, newspapers, and aluminum pots, rubber tires were collected in salvage drives (66).
• Sugar, coffee, meat, canned foods, butter, shoes, tires, gas, and fuel oil were rationed (66).

Heide, Robert and John Gilman.  Home Front America: Popular Culture of the World War II Era. Vancouver: Raincoast Books, 1995.

• Ladies’ Home Journal explained, “Sugar cane is needed to make molasses.  Molasses is used to make industrial alcohol which is needed to make explosives.  Explosives are needed to sink the Axis!” (55)
• Americans began planting their own gardens to offset wartime food shortages (62).
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture distributed pamphlet on how to grow one’s own vegetables (62).
• 20 million Victory Gardens at the peak of the war (62).
• Victory Gardens produced 1/3 of the U.S.’s available vegetables (62).
• Housewives saved fats for explosives (58).
• Mildred Bailey recorded a song, “Scrap Your Fat” (58).
• Some butcher shops offered ration points for turning in fats (58).
• Tin, aluminum, rubber, nylon, silk, and other scrap metals were collected for the war effort (61).
• Nylon stocking turned into tow ropes (61).
• Silk stockings turned into parachutes (61).
• President Roosevelt spent a letter to Boy and Girl Scouts in 1942 urging them to assist in scrap metal drives (61).
• Nylon stockings were in short supply so women took to wearing slacks or white cotton bobby socks (57). 
• War Bond- loan by a citizen to help the government finance the war
• President Roosevelt bought the first War Bond on May 1, 1942 (40). 
• Bonds could be purchased at banks, post offices, department stores, movie theaters, factories, and grocery stores (40).
• War Bonds were a common Christmas gift (81).
• James Cagney toured 16 cities selling War Bonds
• Other stars who sold Bonds include Lana Turner, Dorothy Lamour, Marlene Dietrich, Frances Langford, and Gene Tierney (43).
• Kate Smith raised $40 million during a 16-hour radio marathon (43).
• Largest Bond rally at Lincoln Monument hosted by James Cagney, Betty Grable, Veronica Lake, and Hedy Lamarr raised $1 billion (43). 
• Many Americans never cashed their War Bonds considering it a sacrifice to the nation (43).
• United Service Organization for National Defense (USO) was founded by the YMCA, YWCA, Salvation Army, National Catholic Community Service, and National Jewish Welfare Board (114).
• Supported by the U.S. Army and Navy Departments (114).
• Mission: to create a home-away-from-home for servicemen (114).
• USO organized touring shows of Hollywood celebrities and Broadway stars to boost the morale of troops (115).
• Bob Hope, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Ingrid Bergman, Al Jolson, Ann Sheridan, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Marlene Dietrich (115).
• Dietrich was on Hitler’s death list, but ignored his threats (115).
•  Daddy Warbucks became a general (83).
• Captain Marvel, Superman, Batman, and Robin fought new villains: Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini (83).
• The Justice League was formed to ward off Axis spies in America (83).
• Little Orphan Annie launched her own children’s service group, the Junior Commandos, through her comic strip (82).
• Annie encouraged the Junior Commandos to sell war stamps and bonds, salvage scrap, and collect waste paper (82).
• The OPA outlawed pleasure driving in January 1943 (57).
• OPA imposed rations on gas usage by distributing windshield sticker letters that determined one’s fuel allowance (57).
• A: not essential for war driving (smallest allowance), B: commuters who did not use their vehicles on the job, C: salesmen and deliverymen, E: emergency workers including clergy, police, firefighters, and members of the press, T: truckers, X: congressmen (no restrictions, brought on much controversy) (57).
• Rubber shortage led to speed limits being decreased to 35 mph (57). 
• The OPA was forced to ration rubber because the nation’s rubber supply was cut off due to the war in the Pacific (61). 

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/VAS/0000-4115-4_a.jpg
           
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Reynolds, Helen.  20th Century Fashions: The 40s and 50s: Utility to New Look.  Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 2000. 

• Rationing was instated by the government to ensure that everyone received an equal share of the available resources (8).
• Shortage of labor and fabric (8).
• The Utility Scheme was instated in Britain to assure that fabric was used sparingly (10).
• L85 laws served the same purpose in the U.S (10).
• Because stockings were rationed, women would paint lines down the backs of their legs to look like panty hose seams (8).
• Top British designers, such as Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell, worked together to develop the Utility style clothes (10). 
• Utility Scheme regulated the number of seams, pleats, and the length of stitching (10). 
• A dress could have no more than two pockets and five buttons (10).
• Durable (11).
• Militaristic, masculine (7). 
• Scheme lasted until 1952 (11).

Yellin, Emily.  Our Mother’s War: American Women at Home and at the Front during World War II. New York: Free Press, 2004. 

• Three main ideals set forth for women during WWII (98).
• Ideal homemaker from Ladies’ Home Journal (98).
• Rosie the Riveter from The Saturday Evening Post (98).
• Pinup girls from Esquire (98). 

Women faced pressure to embody all three of these icons (98). 

Students Annotated Bibliographies Index Page