Project Questions

1. Women, Japanese Americans, African Americans, and other minorities each experienced the effects of the war and changes on the home front differently. Despite the many differences, what do these documents suggest about the commonalities that existed in the struggles of these groups?
2. Discussions of warfare are often limited to the male experience on the battlefield, but this ignores not only civilian men but also the numerous women who serve a variety of functions during wartime. Using the documents in this unit, compare and contrast the experiences of men and women on the home front during World War II.
3. Many of the people represented in these documents reveal a desire to achieve social equality and recognition of the full rights of citizenship. In what ways did minorities use their contributions during the war to forward their centuries-old struggle for equality?
4. Central Question: How did World War II affect civilians on the American home front, and how did American society change as a result of the war?