Rosie The Riveter Essay

The second World War resulted in a demand for workers after men began leaving for the war. Due to a lot of the working men in America going overseas as well as the demand for war products, women became a major source of labor. Propaganda began to address women, persuading them that it was their duty to start working for the men. The film The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter gives personal accounts of some of the hardships women faced in the era surrounding WWII, and how the media was used to create a desire for women to work.

The lives of women were effected in two major ways during wartime. The first and most obvious effect that war had on women, is not having a husband at home to take care of the task conceptualized as a “man’s job,” which forced women into new roles. Secondly, women gained a temporary political voice. These two major effects each had their own long term consequences that varied based on which war was being fought.

Women played an important roles during World War II throughout the world; they gave their time, energy, and some even gave their lives. The War also transformed women's roles in the workplace and society, but for many, it did not last forever. Many had to do work that men did before the war. However, most of the works needed professional and outstanding skills.

The progressive era which lasted from 1890-1920 in American society was the institution of radical reforms brought about by the millions of Americans involved in volunteer organizations across the country. During this time Americans worked to create solutions to the problems caused by the rapid industrialization and urbanization of the country. The progressive era was not a single movement, but rather a collection of movements all of which were intended to improve the lives of Americans. This was a truly remarkable time for women and the end of the era would see almost universal women’s suffrage with the passing of the nineteenth amendment in 1920.

After the attack at Pearl Harbor, the United States was pulled into the Second World War. Similar to the Civil War, men enlisted to fight and left their homes to their wives to run. As in the Civil War, jobs men usually performed were taken over by women. Also, America’s manufacturers in World War II were engaged in a great industrial effort, producing more machines, supplies, and airplanes than ever seen before in United States history. Because of this, the American Civil War and the Second World War are very similar in the economic consequences that came about with the war.

American Women during World War 2 had many responsibilities at war, work, and home. But they did not have many equal rights compared to the rest of the society. The women’s rights and responsibilities topic is very interesting. One is understanding and knowing the history about the responsibilities women had to do and how hard working they were. This topic is very important because there was a big change in women’s rights and responsibilities during World War 2. Women’s responsibilities increased especially at work and war. Women, even today are discriminated because of their gender, so there is still no equality between both genders which should stop.

This film study will define the intersectionality of race and gender roles that defined the ability of women to “men’s jobs” during World War II in The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (1980) by Connie Field. In this film many women from the lower and middle classes tended to work in factories or they have been domestic servants in the home. In Field’s film, women from primarily lower-middle class backgrounds (also unmarried0 found an economic opportunity to get paid higher wages for doing “men’s work” in the production of wartime products, such as airplanes, tanks, and other forms of weaponry.

Q7. Women began demanding more political and social freedoms after they had taken on more responsibilities when all of the men had left for war. Women believed that by taking on more responsibilities back at home, they were entitled to more of the same freedoms like men. At the beginning of World War I, men were happily being shipped off to war in order to fight for their country; however, they hadn’t the slightest idea of what they got themselves into. They would find that they would be sending their men off to the slaughter. Drafts would begin taking place throughout countries. When young men reach the age of 18 they are immediately put into the draft, if your are selected, you are sent off to join war. Drafts were put into place is almost every country during World War I, countries always needed more soldiers up at the front fighting, the draft was their solution. With the draft taking away many of the young men from their daily work at home, women would begin to take over the jobs the men had left behind. They would begin doing things such as farming, becoming doctors, factory working, and helping

World War II, in which the United States was involved from 1941 to 1945, was a welcome distraction from the widespread financial ruin of the Great Depression, despite the death and destruction that it caused. Many Americans, though initially reluctant to join the war for fear of becoming embroiled in an exclusively foreign conflict, became passionate supporters of the war effort after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. United through patriotism, millions of men and women of all races volunteered to serve in the military. Americans on the home front rallied around the war effort as well, contributing in a variety of ways, including taking jobs in defense industries, conserving food and resources, and recycling items for use in war production.

World War I was a big moment for America, a time when an nation involved itself in world affairs and began the rise to the economic and military power that America is today. The people of America were affected by world war one in many ways. They were first limited to what they could buy including sugar so that they can provide rations for countries. Full freedom for colored people was a problem in other words there were second class citizens. Finally we went into an everlasting chain of fighting were all these countries were fighting and sticking up for each other and it was just a huge big fight that america didn't need to get involved in.

When Hitler invaded Poland from the west, France and Britain declared war on Germany and began World War Two. America entered the war when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The United States instituted the Selective Training and Service act of 1940 which required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. This meant men had to go into service and leave their home life. This opened up many opportunities for women and sparked the change in women's roles. Women's roles have changed throughout the century including, work, society views, education opportunities, equality, and politics.

On December 7, 1941, the world changed with Japan's first attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, striking the start of another war, World War II. America came back by taking Japanese-Americans from their lives and imprisoning them into internment camps until the war had come to its end in 1945. As citizens, Japanese-Americans should have been given their civil liberties rather than having the government do what they said was best for the common good. The bombing on Pearl Harbor had brought war hysteria, along with that, trashing of personal belongings and racial prejudice on Japanese in which were interned.

They sent hundreds of fighter planes just before 8 am to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan managed to cause a ton of damage to America finally forcing us to join the war against Hitler and Japan. “In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise destroyed. Most important, 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed and about 1,000 people were wounded.” Even though Japan caused a lot of damage to America, they failed to cripple the Pacific Fleet. The Pearl Harbor assault had left the base’s most vital onshore facilities intact so the U.S. Navy was able to make a quick comeback. The attack on Pearl Harbor created a debate that lead to America coming into the war. “After the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. was thrust into World War II (1939-45), and everyday life across the country was dramatically altered. Food, gas and clothing were rationed. Communities conducted scrap metal drives. To help build the armaments necessary to win the war, women found employment as electricians, welders and riveters in defense plants.” The attack changed the way Americans lived. Women found jobs and food, clothes, gas and many other resources had to be rationed. There had to be enough for them and to give supplies to the men over

G1 Bill was passed which provided the veterans with low-interest mortgages and payments for attending college or trade schools. It also provided year of unemployment compensation