THE ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY: WAR AFFECTS EVERY HOME

The War Affects Every Home gallery explores how World War II required the help and determination of all American families. As 16 million American citizens joined the military during war (over 10 percent of the population, and some never to return), families had to adjust their lives, with those on the Home Front sacrificing and covering for their departed loved ones. Every home had to adjust to rationing and shortages of consumer goods, fuels, and food items. Women not only handled these issues in the home, but took on new employment, while children and the elderly contributed through Victory Gardens, bond purchases, and scrap drives. The radio was the tenuous line which connected American homes to what was happening to their loved ones overseas. The gallery, which immerses visitors in a 1942-style home, conveys a sense of the daily lives of American families during World War II.

Made possible through a gift by The Gheens Foundation. Additional support provided by Virginia Eason Weinmann (Mrs. John G. Weinmann).