Introduction:
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Douglas MacArthur asked,
"Can war be outlawed from the world?" Wouldn't it be wonderful
if that could happen! However, history has taught us that peace
is a fragile condition. The study of past wars can help 21st century
students not only understand the causes of war, but also give consideration
to conditions necessary to maintain lasting peace. |
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Even though World Wars
I and II did not take place on American soil, both wars were fought
in multiple ways on the American homefront. This activity showcases
a sampling of American Memory resources that illustrate homefront
contributions during both wars. By studying these primary source
historical documents, students can begin to understand how citizens
of all ages, families and businesses pitched in to help fight for
freedom abroad. They can also consider these actions as possible
models for community contributions to peace efforts today. |
Using the Activity:
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Gallery - The
Gallery page features ten images that highlight America's efforts
on
the homefront during World Wars I and II. The images are divided
into five categories - Volunteer Work, Civil Defense,
Conservation Efforts, Economic Initiatives and Patriotic
Support. Use the arrows to scroll
through
small images across the top of the page. Click on a small image
to view an enlarged version and read information on the category.
Click
on the topics on the right to view additional images on the category.
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Resources -
The Resources page provides links to Library of Congress and other
Internet resources.
The category links are repeated on the right side
of this page. Today's Homefront Efforts links to a sampling
of images documenting contemporary American responses to war. Other
Library of Congress Resources links to collections, presentations
and exhibits within the Library of Congress Web site. Links
to Outside Resources provides a sampling of excellent
outside links for further study of homefront activities. |
Teaching Ideas:
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Analyze the Documents:
Use the gallery images to introduce the concept of document analysis
to your students. Documents can be viewed online or printed
out
for later use. Follow the "observe, think and ask" process. Examine
individual documents or several documents related to the same
category.
Learn more about the document analysis process and download a graphic
organizer from the Learning Page activity, Looking
Into Holidays Past Through Primary Resources. |
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Scavenger Hunt:
Have students search
the American Memory collections for additional images on the homefront
topic. Brainstorm a list of terms before beginning the search process.
Suggested terms might include war work, civilian defense, mobilization,
rationing, Office of War Information or names of individual war
or volunteer organizations. Have each student select one image and
write a scavenger hunt type question related to the image. Compile
the questions and have a class "On the Homefront" competition. |
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Letter Writing
- Imagine a world with no cell phones or computers. Communication
with loved ones during war times was done primarily through letter
writing. Have students write a letter to a "fictional"
loved one who away from home during one of the World Wars. Two History
Channel sites - Dear
Home Letters from WWI and Dear
Home Letters from WWII - have fascinating collections of
online war letters. |
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Gather Memories
- Have students visit the Veteran's
History Project and view, read or listen to accounts of wartime
service from men and women, civilian and military, representing
many ranks, jobs, branches of service, and theaters of war. Conduct
interviews with family members or area residents that can share
their wartime memories with the class. |
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Poster Competition
- Wartime posters played an important role in influencing the American
public. Go to the By
the People, For the People:Posters from the WPA 1936-1943 and
search the collection using the term - "world war." Have
students look for dominant images or slogans that were used
to persuade
viewers. Have students create a persuasive poster for today's homefront
or for another topic under study. |
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Wartime Cookery
- Rationing and home gardening were common practices during both
world wars. Search
the American Memory collections for recipes and food conservation
strategies. Use the terms - "war cookbooks" to get started.
Compare the recipes to those used today. What ingredients are
different?
Do the recipes sound appealing? How have American's eating habits
changed over the years? Why have they changed? Have a wartime
food demonstration to share recipes and ideas. Search
the collections
using the
term
- "wartime food demonstration" - to locate World War
II images on this topic. |
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Do With Less Day
- Use the poster - Do
With Less - as a visual to initiate a class discussion of
food or luxury items students would be willing to go without.
Eliminating use of which foods or items would
help on today's homefront? Have each student choose one item and "give
it up" for
a day or two. Have them write about their experience. |
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