American Homefront During World War II Essay -- American History

The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends. During the Great Depression, the American birth rate had fallen to an all-time low due to delayed marriages and parenthood. In the 1940's, there was a population growth of 19 million, which doubled the rise of the 1930's. However, in 1957, America experienced a "baby boom", and by 1957 the population increased by 29 million. "The rising birthrate was the dominant factor affecting population growth" (text, 847). Along with the escalated birth rate was an upsurge of divorces due to problems with separation and infidelity. "In 1945, more than half a million marriages were dissolved" (Bailey, 147). The death rate was on the decline and life expectancy rose during this period. New medical developments were made with the federal funding of medical research in which penicillin and streptomycin were developed. These advancements in medicine cured many bacterial infections and severe illnesses. Later, in 1952, Jonas Salk introduced a polio vaccine. There was a vast migratory pattern of many Americans during this time period. During the 1940's, millions of African-Americans moved from the South to the North in search of industrial opportunities. As a result of this migration, a third of all black Amer... ...ing legend of the Good War" (Adams, 2). While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were that in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends. Adams, Michael C.C. "The Best War Ever America and World War II" Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 1994 Bailey, Ronald H. The Home Front, U.S.A. Time-Life Publishing, Chicago, IL. 1978 Bard, Mitchell G. The Complete Idiot's Guide to world War II, Macmillan Publishing, New York, New York, 1999 Duis, Perry 0 The War in American Culture, The University of Chicago Press, 1994 Schultz, Stanley K. American History 102 Civil War to the Present Copyright 1999 Board of regents of the University of Wisconsin http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture21.html