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American Society: the 1940s
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Timeline of Important Events
1946- Winston Churchill gives his “Iron Curtain” speech in Missouri. Bikinis were invented. 1944- D- Day Ballpoint pens went on sale. Hitler escapes an assassination attempt. 1940- Franklin D. Roosevelt Elected to a Third Term as U.S. President. 1948- Gandhi was assassinated. “Dewey Defeats Truman” is in the newspaper. 1942- Anne Frank goes into hiding. The “Manhattan Project” began. 1941- Cheerios, Captain America Comics, and M&Ms were created. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. 1943- Italy joins the Allies Warsaw Ghetto uprising. 1945- The US drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The microwave oven and slinky were invented. 1947- Jewish refugees aboard Exodus and were turned back by Britain. Jackie Robinson joins The Dodgers. 1949- Soviet Union obtains an atomic bomb. George Orwell publishes Nineteen Eighty-Four.
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Demographics 1940s Today Population was 132,122,000
Unemployment was 8,120,000 National Debt was $43,000,000,000 Average Salary was $1299 Minimum Wage was $.43 per hour 55% of US homes had indoor plumbing Life expectancy for women was 68 years Life expectancy for men was 61 years Population is 320,090,857 Unemployment is 7,904,000 National debt is $18,000,000,000 Average Salary is $35,804 Minimum wage is $9.00 per hour 99% of US homes have indoor plumbing Life expectancy for women is 81 years Life expectancy for men is 76 years
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The Changing Role of Women
When the men were sent off to war, women took over many of the jobs that were left open. It was still common belief that women should stay at home but that idea was changing quickly.
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Woman's Work Before the War
Women before World War II had very little say in society. They were commonly stereotyped as stay at home mothers who cooked, cleaned the house, and take care of the children when the man of the house was away. When men were drafted into the war, all of this changed. Woman's Work Before the War Their stereotype and their jobs
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Woman’s Work During the War and After
With the men away at war, the women stepped up to fill their roles. They did labor intensive jobs such as working in factories, steel yards, lumber mills, and shipyards. The amount of women in the workforce increased by % in the 1940’s. The war was so big that the Women’s Army Course and Women Accepted for Volunteer Services were founded, forcing the US Congress to allow women to serve in the US Navy. Woman’s Work During the War and After Taking on the men’s jobs
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A member of America’s Women Air Corps
Female firefighters during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 A member of America’s Women Air Corps A member of the U.S. Navy’s WAVES
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Other Achievements Made by Women
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was founded in 1943 Anne Curtis won the prestigious Sullivan Award and multiple Olympic medals in 1944 Eleanor Roosevelt became a US delegate for the newly founded United Nations in 1945 Barbara Washburn climbed Mount McKinley in 1947 Mildred “Babe” Didrikson and other women created the Ladies Professional Golf Tour in 1949, and she was an Olympic athlete
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Racial Injustice
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Timeline of Racial Discrimination
JUNE 20TH, 1940 NAACP leader Elbert Williams lynched in Brownsville, Tennessee FEBRUARY 19th, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders internment of Japanese Americans MAY 30th, 1943 White sailors and soldiers attack Latino Youth in Los Angeles Zoot Suit riots JANUARY 2nd, 1944 15-Year-Old Boy lynched in Florida for sending love note DECEMBER 16th, 1945 Black family killed in Southern California house fire after refusing to move from white neighborhood FEBRUARY 28th, 1942 White mobs riot in Detroit OCTOBER 22nd, 1946 Despite confession, five white men freed in Mississippi for lynching JUNE 3rd, 1943 White factory workers in Detroit strike to protest the promotion of black workers JUNE 21st, 1940 Black Man lynched in Alabama for failing to address a white man as “Mr.” MARCH 26th, 1944 Mississippi: Six white men murder black minister, Steal Land
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1940s Although it was a time of great unrest, much progress was made during the 1940s. It was a decade of invention, war, labor, and injustice, and ultimately contributed to making America the way it is today.
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Work Cited "1934: Eleanor Roosevelt." Columbia Journalism School Centennial. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb “1940's Vintage Prom Hairstyles – 40s Prom Hairstyles." 1940s Hairstyles: Retro Hairstyles, 40s Hair, 1940's Rockabilly, Prom & 40's Wedding Hairstyles. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb "#6Degrees of Separation: 1984 by George Orwell." How To Be A Good Wife. N.p., 04 Oct Web. 01 Feb “All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) | American Sports Organization." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Ann Curtis Dies at 86; Swimmer Won Two Gold Medals at 1948 London Olympic Games." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Babe's Dramatic Life And Legacy." Babe Didrikson Zaharias: Babe's Dramatic Life And Legacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb Bagchi, Rob. "50 Stunning Olympic Moments No35: Wilma Rudolph's Triple Gold in 1960 | Rob Bagchi." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 June Web. 22 Feb “Bio.com. A&E Networks Television” n.d. Web. 01 Feb "Flashback Summer: Working Woman Series: Shoes." Flashback Summer: Working Woman Series: Shoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Forties-fifties-sixties-love." 40's, 50's, 60's. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb
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Work Cited "Hitler Archives." WAR HISTORY ONLINE. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb Lallanilla, By Marc. "Hiroshima, Nagasaki & the First Atomic Bombs." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 09 May Web. 01 Feb "Members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and an Umpire - Opa-locka, Florida." Florida Memory. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Museum of Science, Boston | Washburn Climb." Museum of Science, Boston | Washburn Climb. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "News ( )." News ( ). N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan "Politicscope." N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb "The Pop History Dig." The Pop History Dig. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Today." A History of Racial Injustice. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb "Quick ‘plans for Prettiness’ for the 1943 Summer Girl –." Glamourdaze. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Societal Roles and Expectations through the 1940's-50's." : Role of Women during the 1940's. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb
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Work Cited "This Time, Women Are Here to Stay." The New Agenda. N.p., 10 Nov Web. 22 Feb "Warsaw Ghetto Uprising." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb Reporter, Daily Mail. "When McDonald's Was Just a Tiny BBQ Joint: Black and White Pictures of the First Burger Restaurant before It Went on to Take over the World (and a Hamburger Was Just 15 Cents)." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 06 Oct Web. 01 Feb "Who Is Anne?" Anne Frank. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb "Who Would Have Made the Best Wonder Woman over the Years?" HitFix. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Why Did Japan Attack U.S. On Pearl Harbor?" Here Now RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb "Winston Churchill - ITV News." ITV News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb "Woman Ironing in the Kitchen, Late 1940s." SSPL Prints. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb "Vintage Allies." 1940s Slang. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb "Vintage Car Advertisements of the 1940s (Page 68)." Vintage Car Advertisements of the 1940s (Page 68). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb "Vintage Coke/ Coca-Cola Advertisements of the 1940s (Page 3)." Vintage Coke/ Coca-Cola Advertisements of the 1940s (Page 3). "Vintage Everyday." : Interesting Photos of Women in World War II. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb
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