Our Food is Fighting! Food on WWII's Home Front
During the war, there were shortages of various types of food that affected just about everyone on a daily basis. Food was in short supply for a variety of reasons: much of the processed and canned foods was reserved for shipping overseas to our military and our Allies; transportation of fresh foods was limited due to gasoline and tire rationing and the priority of transporting soldiers and war supplies instead of food; imported foods, like coffee and sugar, was limited due to restrictions on importing.
Because of these shortages, the U.S. government’s Office of Price Administration established a system of rationing that would more fairly distribute foods that were in short supply. Rationing meant finding creative ways to overcome challenges when you couldn't always get the foods you were accustomed to eating. The U.S. Government began printing recipe books with tips on how to stretch rationed food to last as long and feed as many as possible. Additionally, some of the most popular foods we still eat today were introduced during World War II in response to the shortages and changing food needs of the United States. Cheerios, M&M's, corn dogs, SPAM and Rice Krispie Treats were all introduced during America's war years.
The United States also called upon its residents to grow their own fruits and vegetables in Victory Gardens, which were a way to show patriotism as well as supply your family with essential foods needed to be healthy. Gardens were planted in yards, on rooftops, in window boxes and anywhere else families could find the space. Planting Victory Gardens helped make sure that there was enough food for our soldiers fighting around the world. Because canned vegetables were rationed, Victory Gardens also helped people stretch their ration coupons.
Let's take a closer look at these recipe books, propaganda posters, and more from the Education Department's collection, and see how the government made sure Americans knew their Food was Fighting.
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Online Sources: The American Home Front
- America from the Great Depression to World War II: Color Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1939-1945 (Library of Congress) ...
- American war posters from the Second World War, circa 1940-1945 (Online Archive of California) ...
- Bryant College Goes To War (Bryant College)
Exploring Primary Sources with the National WWII Museum
When you visit a museum—or in this case a museum's website—you come in contact with actual pieces of history. Those pieces of history are called Primary Sources.
What kind of food did they eat in World War II? ›
Meat (March 1940) was first, followed by fat and eggs, cheese, tinned tomatoes, rice, peas, canned fruit and breakfast cereals. Remember this was a world where even in the pre-war days of plenty, olive oil was sold as a medical aid and dried pasta was confined to a few Italian shops.
What is a primary source from WWII? ›
Primary sources provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, person, object or place. These sources are created by participants or witnesses to an event at the time it occurred, and their experiences can be recorded later in the form of an autobiography, memoir or oral history.
What is the homefront of WWII? ›
Without the steadfast support of the “Home Front”—the factory churning out weapons, the mother feeding her family while carefully monitoring her ration book, the child collecting scrap metal for the war effort—US soldiers, sailors, and airmen could not have fought and defeated the Axis.
What was the homefront in ww2 for kids? ›
What was the Home Front? Britain was called the 'Home Front', because people felt that they were part of the war. The war effected everyone whether they were on the front line (in Europe) or on the home front (back in Britain). Not everyone went to fight, but everyone helped in the 'war effort' in some way or other.
What food was invented in WWII? ›
Additionally, some of the most popular foods we still eat today were introduced during World War II in response to the shortages and changing food needs of the United States. Cheerios, M&M's, corn dogs, SPAM and Rice Krispie Treats were all introduced during America's war years.
What food was hard to get during WW2? ›
Rationed Foods. The categories of rationed foods during the war were sugar, coffee, processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.), meats and canned fish, and cheese, canned milk, and fats.
What was a typical lunch in WW2? ›
Some suggestions include fried egg, onion, peppers, or any sauces or condiments desired. Serve warm with soup and potato chips for a warm, filling lunch. A note about potato chips: Production of potato chips temporarily came to a halt during WWII.
What are 4 examples of a primary source? ›
Examples of primary sources:
- Diaries, letters, memoirs, autobiographies.
- Interviews, speeches, oral histories, personal narratives.
- Scientific data and reports.
- Scholarly journal articles (depends on discipline)
- Statistical and survey data.
- Works of art, photographs, music, or literature.
- Archeological artifacts.
Truman announced Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. The news spread quickly and celebrations erupted across the United States. On September 2, 1945, formal surrender documents were signed aboard the USS Missouri, designating the day as the official Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day).
What is the primary source? ›
A primary source is a first-hand or contemporary account of an event or topic. Primary sources are the most direct evidence of a time or event because they were created by people or things that were there at the time or event. These sources offer original thought and have not been modified by interpretation.
What is a secondary source from ww2? ›
Examples of secondary sources include:
A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous findings. A history textbook.
What is a primary source for the Cold War? ›
Cold War letters, treaties, dispatches and other primary sources, including documents relating to international crises, the roles of specific countries or areas, communist activities, notebooks of famous Russian leaders, as well as intelligence and military operations.
What was the source of the World War 2? ›
Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.
What were the primary theaters of ww2? ›
A conflict's theatre is the geographic place where military events occur. World War II had two primary theatres: The European Theatre and the Pacific Theatre.
