WELCOME TO THE 1940'S

President Harry S.Truman

The beginning of the 1940's decade saw extreme social and economical conditions. According to the 1940 US census, one out of five Americans owned a car, one in seven had a telephone and only fifteen percent of the college-age population attended college. Other stats revealed that only 75% of American households had a refrigerator or ice box, 60% lacked central heat and three out of four famhouses were lit with kerosene lamps.

Roles of Women and Men

These conventions placed a high priority on marriage and family. A woman's role was to marry, bear children, and nurture them. This was reflected in her following strict codes of behavior; and for an unmarried girl, in keeping her virginity. A man's role was equally defined. The man was to be the protector and breadwinner; the head of the family. Monogamy reigned, divorce was difficult if not impossible to obtain. Besides the legal strictures supporting monogamy there were many moral, hygienic, social, and cultural constraints that reinforced a monogamous imperative. Sex was not a subject for public discussion. Sex education was taboo. Birth control was often illegal or unavailable. Many girls, even in college, were naive about conception and childbirth. The advent of World War II would ultimately loosen the mores and conventions of the time.

World War II Sacrifices

It was a time of careful shopping, empty sugar bowls and Victory gardens growing on every bit of available land. Karo syrup, honey and molasses replaced the sugar in cakes and cookies. Americans ate more chicken--the Sunday pot roast had become a fond memory. Tires were patched and repatched; new tires were as valuable as gold and more difficult to acquire. Gasoline and shoe purchases were severely limited and required special stamps. America was at war with the Axis; it was time to tighten the belt and make sacrifices to ensure an Allied victory.
Within a year after America's entry into World War II, factories were producing armaments instead of civilian products like automobiles and electrical appliances. Shoe manufacturers made boots for the U.S. Armed Forces. Silk and nylon went into parachutes instead of women's stockings. Shortages of metals, rubber and sugar quickly appeared as Pacific supply routes fell under enemy control.

In April 1942 the Office of Price Aministration announced sugar would be rationed--Philippine imports had been cut off and ships carrying Cuban and Puerto Rican sugar were needed for defense use. Large amounts of sugar were also required to manufacture the alcohol used in explosives. By 1943 coffee, canned meat and fish, canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables and fresh meat, fish, butter and cheese quickly joined the list.

On December 6, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Claude R. Wickard to the newly created position of food administrator to supervise the rationing of consumable and usable products vital to the war effort. Wickard, well aware of his job's importance, noted during a radio broadcast later that month that "the way we manage our food supply will have a lot to do with how soon we win the war."

By early 1943 the point system for food and other commodities had become reality for most Americans. Each citizen, regardless of age, was issued 2 ration books on a specific date--set by the Office of Price Administration--each month. Blue coupons were used with cash to purchase canned foods; red went toward meat, fish and dairy products. Every coupon had a special point value and the total monthly point allowance was 48 blue and 64 red points. The rationing points translated into about 2 pounds of canned fruits and vegetables, about 1.5 pounds of meat and 4 ounces of cheese per person. The average family of 4 received 8 ration books, or a total of 192 blue and 256 red points per month.

Rationing was established to distribute fairly whatever food was available to home-front markets, but it did not guarantee that everyone would find the foods for which they had coupons. The military's needs were met first, so shortages of certain foods quickly became unavoidable. Points were figured geographically, but food supplies differed regionally, even within a state. While some cuts of meat might require 12 points per pound in Detroit, they would only require 6 points in Chicago.

Faced with inevitable shortages, housewives spent much of their day budgeting and planning meals. Their innovative ideas quickly became apparent in the recipes for sugarless or low-sugar cookies and cakes that appeared in newspapers and magazines. Other sweetening agents, such as honey, molasses, sorghum and Karo syrup, were substituted in desserts or atop pancakes and hot cereal. Wartine required many cooks to fall back on Depression-era recipes that used oatmeal or soybean flour in casseroles and stews as meat extenders.

Many cookbooks were written to assist the wartime cook as she dealt with meat, sugar and egg rationing. The book "Thrifty Cooking for Wartime" by Alice B. Winn-Smith (1942, The Macmillan Company) is a charming example of the kinds of books women turned to for help. In the book's preface, Winn-Smith writes, "In this book are many helpful suggestions that will make your meal planning easier while going through these experiences. After all, we owe it to our families to keep the home fire burning as comfortably as possible, while they are so willingly doing everything to protect it."

Nutritionists and cookbook authors suggested housewives serve more meatless meals, something we've discovered today is a healthy alternative, but was considered a patriotic sacrifice during the war years. Winn-Smith reminded readers, "Remember, much of the meat is needed by 'our boys,' and the use of some of these meat cuts that are less important for supplying the armed forces, definitely helps in the conservation program."

Baby Boomers

Harry S. Truman, the son of a farmer, was born in Lamar, Missouri, on the 8th day of May 1884. After an education in Independence, Missouri, he farmed on his parents' land. In 1917, soon after the United States entered the First World War, he enlisted in the army. Truman served on the Western Front and achieved the rank of captain.

On returning from the war Truman ran an unsuccessful haberdashery before studying law in Kansas City. Truman became active in local politics. A great admirer of Woodrow Wilson, Truman joined the Democratic Party and in 1922 was elected county judge (1922-24). This was followed by eight years as presiding judge, a post he held until being elected to the Senate in 1934.

Truman loyally supported Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal policies, and in 1944 he was asked to replace Henry Wallace as his vice president. Truman only served 82 days as vice president when Roosevelt died on 12th April, 1945. In his first address to Congress he promised to continue Roosevelt's policies. In July he attended the Potsdam Conference and in August authorized the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima.

Henry Wallace, Secretary of Commerce, favoured co-operation with the Soviet Union. In private he disagreed with Truman about what he considered to be an aggressive foreign policy. Wallace went public about his fears at a meeting in New York in September, 1946. As a result, Truman sacked Wallace from his administration.

On 12th March, 1947, Truman announced details to Congress of what eventually became known as the Truman Doctrine. In his speech he pledged American support for "free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures". This was followed by the Marshall Plan, a proposal to offer American financial aid for a programme of European economic recovery.

Truman showed a stronger interest in civil rights than previous presidents. He was a proud defender of the Fair Employment Act that he had instigated during the war to prevent discrimination against African Americans, Jews and other minority groups. A supporter of the Wagner Act, he opposed the Taft-Hartley Bill which limited labour action, claiming it was bad for industry and workers alike. When Congress passed it he denounced it as a "slave-labor bill".

At the Democratic National Convention of 1948, Storm Thurmond led the opposition to Truman and his Fair Deal proposals that included legislation on civil rights, fair employment practices, opposition to lynching and improvements in existing public welfare laws. When Truman won the nomination, Southern Democrats formed the States' Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) and Thurmond was chosen as its presidential candidate.