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Effects Of World War II On America

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In September of 1939, a global war had begun when Hitler led the German forces to invade Poland. The American president was reluctant on entering the war because he was building allies in the western hemisphere and was focused on making life better on the home front. Tragedy struck America on the morning of December 7, 1941 when the Japanese conducted a surprise aerial attack against the United States naval base at pearl harbor. The lethal and deadly force of the attack spurred President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to realize it was time to enter the war. As American troops were being sent off to war citizens' lives on the home front changed dramatically. The soldiers were being taken care of before the people and did not experience the rationing of his or hers supplies. The rationing drew a fatal blow to the home front when America entered the second world war. Our local county workers would hold daily interviews for each household to acquire a rationing book. The number of stamps that were received depended on the size of a person's household, and these stamps were used to buy goods. The supplies that were being rationed regularly was tires, gas, sugar, meat, butter and shoes. Even the speed limit during this time period was decreased to thirty-five miles per hour to conserve on the use of tires. Families frequently used drip gas in a personal vehicle as an alternative fuel to save the gas vouchers that were given. Numerous citizens in Oklahoma were not affected by the rationing by having access to orchards for fruit, farms for the meat supply and gardens that would supply vegetables. Families did anything to preserve food, and generally used a pressure cooker or oven to complete this task. Bartering was often used in communitie... ... middle of paper ... ... great violence on the streets of east Los Angeles. Despite a few unpleasant episodes, the American population suffered little during the war compared to other fighting countries (Kennedy and Cohen 807). Works Cited Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. "Chapter 35, Manpower and Womanpower." The American Pageant Volume 2 Since 1865. Boston, MA: Wadworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 803-804. Print. Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. "Chapter 35, Wartime Migrations." The American Pageant Volume 2 Since 1865. Boston, MA: Wadworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 804- 806. Print. Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. "Chapter 35, Holding the Home Front." The American Pageant Volume 2 Since 1865. Boston, MA: Wadworth Cengage Learning, 2012. 807. Print. Los Angeles Almanac. Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .
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