Lesson Plans -- Student

In 1939 I lived in East Providence with my aunt. I worked at Gibson's, a soda fountain... I made $15 for a 48 hour week.

I met my husband while I was working at Gibson's. He had a construction job building an air base in Newfoundland. When Pearl Harbor broke out... we got married. My husband had a deferment (did not have to go to the war) because his job was considered important to the defense... But he wanted to go so badly that he quit his job... and he went into the service very happily.

After my husband went into the Seabee's I quit my job at Gibson's and went to work in a woolen mill. Well, the wool would come in just like they sheer it off the sheep. It was dirty...

At the mill the government used to send out all the Purple Heart soldiers to talk to use and tell us that we couldn't take time off, and pushed all this patriotism on us. One particular day I had the day off and they went to my house. I wasn't home. It would have been embarrassing to have a solider... asking why I wasn't at work.

I think I got $27 a week, so it did pay more (than Gibson's).

After the war things changed because women found out they could go out and they could survive. They could really do it on their own. That's where I think women's lib really started.

In 1940 I went to Rhode Island State College... I was considered somewhat of a rebel. Women didn't do much in those days. ...You graduated from high school, you got some kind of job, and you got married. There weren't many of us that went on to college.

After the war began, Curtis Wright, the airplane factory, needed women to replace their engineers who had been called up for the draft. They sent us up to Renssalaer Polytechnical Institute... We learned just the essentials: machine design, drafting, calculus integration, electricity, and airplane engine.

...After a year of working at the... factory, I tried to get into the army. From basic training, I went on to Camp Atterbury... to laboratory technician school. After the classes were over, we worked in the hospitals. I met my husband while I worked in the hospital.

My husband had received a disability discharge and stayed home while I went on to army camp. I left four days after we were married and was gone for three months. I originally wanted to go with the Army of Occupation to Japan for a year... But my husband wanted me to come home. I didn't really want to. I figured we would be married for the rest of our lives. But he insisted. So I applied for my discharge and got out.

Question 7: According to Ott, what did most women not do prior to the outbreak of World War II and how was she different?

Question 8: What did Ott want to do after the war and what did she choose to do, and why?


Document 7 A Farm Girl Plays Professional Baseball- Wilma Briggs, Story by Ben Tyler

Had it not been for the war, I never would have played professional baseball. That started because of the war. Phil Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs was certain that all the men would be drafted, and the major league ballparks would be empty. That's the reason he started the league, the All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League.

...I joined it (the league) after high school in 1948. Had it not been for the war, that part of my life would never come to pass. I traveled, lived in the best hotels, ate in restaurants, lived in private homes- that's an experience. I think it gave me courage years later to say, "I think I'll go to college."

The league ended finally in '54. All those things that people couldn't do during the war years they could now do. They had money in their pockets, gasoline in their gas tanks, and television came out. I think that's what broke the back of the league.

I think our whole country changed after the war when all the "Rosie the Riveters" continued to rivet when the war was over.

1. "Will women want to keep their jobs after the war is over?" When I asked Miss Mary Anderson of the Bureau of Women in Industry, she told me it all boils down to economic necessity. Married women usually keep their jobs only when they have real need for money at home.

2. Let us analyze this whole question of women who work. ...We even have a little contempt for a woman who is nothing but an ornament.

3. ...An ever-growing number of young women... are taking jobs as they finish school or college, but the main job of the average woman in our country still is to marry and have a home and children.

4. I surmise that the major occupation of a married woman... at the close of the war will be what it has always been- the care of the family...

5. Many women, because of the urge to help their country and their own men during the war, will have acquired skills- skills which they will be able to use... But I do not think they will use them if they have families and homes calling them back to a different kind of existence.

6. Recently, I saw women who drove long distances and worked long hours in a shipyard in New England. ...They knew the work was temporary and feared they would never have the opportunity to achieve certain desires if they did not take advantage of the present need for workers.

• Three objectives the government and society encouraged from women during the war period. Be sure to discuss why the government believed the objectives were necessary.
• Discuss the experiences of at least two of the women who's oral histories are listed in the documents section. Include how their war experience affected their lives after the war. How did the war provide them with opportunities most likely they would not have had without the war?
• Discuss if you believe, or not believe, the experiences of women in the World War II era shaped the modern women's rights movement. Correlate details from the documents to support your argument.
  
  
  Explanation of Selected Documents
  
  Document 1 The More Women at Work the Sooner We Win, United States Employment Service Poster
  http://www.epfl.net/exhibits/warposters/docs/mdwp001.html
  This poster was a last minute addition to the DBQ. Although I found the poster early in my document search, I felt concerned the poster was almost too easy and therefore not useful to the purpose of the DBQ. The poster message was pretty straight forward, if women work America will win World War II but a closer examination of the poster exposes some very subtle items, which I am hopeful a discerning student would pick up on. First of all, the women in the poster is young, white, attractive and married. Note the prominence of the wedding ring in the poster. What about women who were not married or white? Did the government include them in their recruiting efforts?
  
  Secondly, take a look at the list of available jobs. For example, typists, waitresses, laundresses and teachers. These jobs were pretty much exclusively female prior to the war. The poster continues to support stereotypical employment roles. Again, as with the appearance of the female figure in the poster, I am hopeful the most talented students would take notice most of the jobs listed offered no new opportunities for women in regards to waged labor.
  
  Document 2 "What Did You Do in the War, Grandma"- Katherine O'Grady, interviewed by Kathy O'Grady
  http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/Grandma.html
  A good document despite the fact that the interviewer is the granddaughter of the subject. I felt this might compromise the quality of the interview as a granddaughter would not ask her grandmother difficult questions and the relationship might limit the objectivity of the piece.
  
  My concerns aside, I selected this oral history as Katherine O'Grady experienced many of the points I tried to bring out in my DBQ. First, she worked a typical women's job, her time at Gibson's. When the war broke out, she quit the women's job and went to work in a wool mill. As the original is quite long, I edited out a lot in regards to O'Grady's time at the mill but I did put in the DBQ that the work was dirty, to make it clear to the students, the mill job could be considered men's work.
  
  In addition to the employment angle, O'Grady's description of how the government arranged for Purple Heart soldiers to speak to the employees at the mill was fantastic for the question at hand. Workers taking time off resulted in a reduction of production, henceforth their time off hurt the war effort. The fact that a Purple Heart soldier was sent to O'Grady's home when she dared to take a day off, highlights the commitment of the government's campaign to control the actions of war-related industrial workers.
  
  Document 3 Top That 10%, United States Government War Bond Campaign
  http://www.geocities.com/postergirls_of_worldwar2/frame.htm >
  
  Once I started thinking about this poster though, I realized it was not her money but his. Notice the look of surprise on her face. In reality, the image being portrayed was of a married couple in their bedroom. The husband, at least as the wife believed, was sleeping and she went into his pants for money. This concurs with the commonly held belief married women did not have their own money as they normally did not work and relied on their spouses for financial support.
  
  The husband was not sleeping though and 'caught' his wife in the act of pillaging his pockets. Instead of being upset with her, his only suggestion was that she spend at least 10% of the money she took on war bonds. This solidified the notion husbands held a superior position in the spousal relationship and therefore had the right to give permission to their spouses in regards to how his earnings were spent.
  
  Bottom line- in the government's effort to raise fund for war bonds, the government played on a popular stereotype which, if given adequate thought, compromise the message of their other propaganda campaigns, such as enticing women into waged labor.
  
  Document 4 Reduction of Female Absenteeism, American Journal of Nursing, 1944
  http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/BH/BH02/BH0201-72dpi.jpeg
  In every course of research, there is a find of information that makes you sit back and go, 'Wow!' Document 4 was my 'Wow' piece of information. I came across this site by accident and marveled at the wealth of information available in reference to consumerism and the World War II period. If I had found this site earlier, the subject of my research paper would have focused on this area.
  
  The site has several print advertisements geared to women during World War II. My only dilemma centered on which one to choose. When I found the Tampax advertisement, I felt as if I won the lottery as this print was full of stereotypes and the ultimate governmental objective; to win World War II, women had to fully participate in the workplace.
  
  The advertisement opens with the statement that women were absent from work at a rate of 50% more than their male counterparts. Although the ad can not conclusively tie female absenteeism to 'menstrual inconveniences' the ad strongly implies this was the cause of the female attendance issue.
  
  The ad goes on to discuss that doctors needed to teach their female patients that menstruation does should not result in the curtailment, or in this case time off, from everyday activities or work. This debunks the contention long used as the evidence females should not work as their biological differences render them ineffective as workers.
  
  Finally, the advertisement suggested if women workers used Tampax, they would be on the job and in turn, the war would be won. Who knew menstruation held the key to America's victory in World War II? Although this was not specifically generated by the government's propaganda machine, the message corresponds with all the government's aims, therefore I could not pass this piece up.
  
  Document 5 That was the Day I Joined the WAVES, United States Government Recruiting Poster
  http://www.history.navy.mil/ac/posters/wwiiwomen/70-623-r.jpg
  The Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service or WAVES, represented an opportunity for American women to join an organization in which comparisons could be drawn to the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. As such, recruitment posters could have focused on the skills women would learn if they joined the WAVES or perhaps even the opportunity to travel.
  
  This poster did neither. The poster focused on the stereotype that women's actions were dictated by the actions of their men. In this case, the young woman in the poster joined the WAVES because her boyfriend was hurt in action. Note also- the keyword was boyfriend, not husband. Notice how the telegram in the background indicates the woman is a Miss and not a Mrs. Did the government choose a Miss instead of a Mrs. with intent or accident? As Mrs. could also be mothers did the government want to recruit childless women so the integrity of the American family would not be compromised?
  
  Document 6 A Young Girl Joins the Army- Catherine Ott, interviewed by Tara Melish
  http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/YoungGirl.html
  I selected the Ott oral history as the subject led a rich life, before and after World War II. As the piece starts, Ott states most women in her community graduated from high school, found a job, and quit that job upon marriage. Ott already broke across the stereotypical mold before World War II as she attended college.
  
  As the war broke out she was one of the few women from her college selected to attend RPI. Ott and her fellow students only had the opportunity because Curtis Wright lost many male engineers to the draft. Ott's ability to attend RPI and work as an engineer represents one of the many positive opportunities World War II provided for women.
  
  The fact that Ott served as an engineer provides adequate merit to present her story but not only did she work in a male dominated field, she left the job to join the women's version of the army. In addition, Ott discusses her desire to continue her military career after the war's conclusion but chose to leave the military as her husband wanted her to be a wife and mother. I especially liked this part of the oral history as it showed women did not jump at the chance to return to the home but felt pressure from their spouses and society as a whole.
  
  Also, the ability of Ott to leave the army because she wished, or her husband wished, to pursue domestic pursuits illustrates the differences the military expressed when it came to the enlistment of women and men. Men, even in peace, could not select to leave the military because they desired marriage and family. For women, the call of the domestic realm was reason enough to honorably walk away.
  
  Document 7 A Farm Girl Plays Professional Baseball- Wilma Briggs, Story by Ben Tyler
  http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/FarmGirlBaseball.html
  I selected Briggs' story as her career in professional baseball richly illustrates the unique opportunities women were able to pursue because of World War II. If the war never occurred, Briggs would have never played professional baseball, and as such the opportunity to travel, stay at fancy hotels and dine at restaurants.
  
  More importantly though, Briggs' baseball career gave her self-confidence to pursue other goals in her life, as in her case the pursuit of a college education. I am sure the same can be said of thousands of women who looked at what they did during to war as a source of strength to break past the domestic barrier.
  
  Document 8 Eleanor Roosevelt- Woman's Place After the War
  http://newdeal.feri.org/er/er15.htm
  Eleanor Roosevelt was the leading female figures in America during World War II. She traveled extensively and served as her husband's eyes and ear. Many considered her actions inconsistent to what a woman and a First Lady should be. Despite the fact that Roosevelt herself did not subscribe to the stereotypical role of wife and mother, she too concurred most women would return to the home after World War II, which is why I selected the document.
  
  Roosevelt, although she allowed for the fact some women might wish to continue their employment, believed most women only worked if the financial viability of her family required so. Furthermore, Roosevelt stressed that if given the choice between work and family, the vast majority of women would choose family.
  
  The document serves as a nice conclusion to the previous seven documents and provides a nice transition to the essay section. Roosevelt's conclusions will serve as a starting point for many students as they begin to reflect what role the female World War II experience served for the modern women's movement. Did women return willingly and happily to the domestic sphere or did the war give birth to the desire for professional fulfillment?
  
  
  Grading Reflections
  Part A: Short Answer Questions
  
  Document 1
  1. The answer to this question is very straight and simple: the 'we' is the United States and the 'win' is World War II. A very astute student will also recognize the 'win' was a victory for the American way of life: democracy, capitalism and women in the domestic sphere. The question was designed to get students thinking why the American government waged their propaganda campaign to get women involved in the war effort.
  
  Document 2
  2. The job at the wool mill paid more than the job at the soda fountain ($27 vs. $15 a week). The money aspect of the question is very straight forward. I don't believe any student will have a problem picking out the wool mill paid more than the soda fountain. The question why the job paid more may be a bit more difficult though. The job at the soda fountain was described as fun, O'Grady met her future husband there. When she talks about the wool mill though, her description consisted of the work was dirty. Hopefully, students will take note of the descriptions and decide the wool mill paid more because the work was more difficult and in peace time would be considered a man's position.
  
  3. The government did not encourage workers to take time off as they believe the loss of a worker, even for one day, hurt production goals, which in turn hampered the overall war effort. To encourage workers to stay on the job, the government sent Purple Heart soldiers to give a face to the war effort and stir worker's patriotism. This is the piece of information I want the students to discuss. In addition, students can draw upon O'Grady's own experience, where the Purple Heart soldier showed up at her home on a day she took off.
  
  Document 3
  4. At the very least I want students to respond the husband saw his wife taking money out of his pants and strongly suggested she spend at least 10% of that money on war bonds. Ideally, I would like students to point out the wife thought the husband was asleep and was very surprised at being caught. A very strong student may also point out women, for the most part, did not have their 'own' money, so the poster served as an appeal to spend their husband's money on the war bond effort.
  
  Document 4
  5. I would like the students to discern from the document, women missed work more often, at least according to the document, than men because of menstruation. As for what Tampax could do to benefit the war effort- students should discuss the benefits of using Tampax as listed by the document. For example, Tampax eliminates 'conspicuous bulging under slacks or coveralls', conditions which led to women's absence from work. As Tampax made a women's month a little easier, the use of the product helped the war effort as the tampon, supposedly, kept women on the job, therefore meeting war time production quotas.
  
  Document 5
  6. The woman decision to join the WAVES was an emotional one as the telegram behind her head signifies her boyfriend was hurt in the war. At a minimum, I would like students to discuss the implications of the telegram, her boyfriend being hurt lead the woman to pursue the noble cause of joining the WAVES. The astute student will draw the conclusion, joining the WAVES served as a venue for American women to express their patriotism as the role of a male soldier was not available to their gender.
  
  Document 6
  7. The bulk of the answer is explicitly stated in the document: most women in Ott's community completed high school, got a job and immediately quit that job upon marriage as they turned their attention to home and family. Ott herself was a rarity as instead of getting a job upon her high school graduation, she attended college. The very astute might go on to detail this break from tradition provided the opportunity for Ott to study at RPI and work in the male dominated field of engineering during the war.
  ,br> 8. At the conclusion of the war, Ott desired to go with the Army of Occupation to Japan. To do this, Ott would have had to make a commitment of one year. Ott felt a very strong desire to go but her husband wanted her home, and based on his feelings, Ott left her military. Students, at the very least, should discuss Ott's desire versus her husband's feeling and the decision his wishes lead to.
  
  Document 7
  9. The first part of the answer is easy- the war gave Briggs the opportunity to play professional baseball. The second part of the answer can be addressed in two ways, both answers being correct. First, she had the opportunity to travel, stay in nice hotels and eat in restaurants during her baseball career. Or, the student can point out that Briggs was able to use her success as a professional baseball player as a basis of self-confidence in regards to her decision to pursue a college education. The two answer could also be combined by some students, for example, travel was an immediate benefit of her baseball career, the self-confidence that the career gave Briggs to go to college was a long-term benefit. This answer is correct as well.
  
  Document 8
  10. Prior to World War II, Roosevelt stated women worked when family finances required her participation in waged labor. Postwar Roosevelt admits some women might want to use the skills learned during World War II but if her family is not facing an economic need, the women will most likely choose family and home over a career.
  
  Both answers are fairly simple as the question is designed to serve as a transition to the essay and get students thinking about women and their feelings in regards to employment in the postwar era.
  
  
  Part B: Essay Response
  
  The essay response should meet very specific requirements. Overall, the essay must use a minimum of five documents from Part A. The students need to discuss the following as outlined previously in the essay question:
  1. Three objectives and the necessity of these objectives, that the government and society encouraged from women during the war period.
     
  2. The experiences of at least two of the women who's oral histories are listed in the documents section. Include how their war experience affected their lives after the war. How did the war provide them with opportunities most likely they would not have had without the war?
     
  3. Do if you believe, or not believe, the experiences of women in the World War II era shaped the modern women's rights movement. Correlate details from the documents to support your argument.
  As written work is a very personal thing, there are really no right or wrong answers. As long as the student can support their work with details from the documents, full credit in reference to answering the question will be received.
  
  Structurally, the essay must have:
  • An introduction with a clearly defined and focused thesis statement
    
  • Body paragraphs that address and examine the questions provided in the essay question
  • A strong conclusion that connects the body paragraphs to the thesis statement
  I would not grade down on small misspellings or grammatical errors, but if the paper is full of continued spelling and/or grammatical errors, I would grade down, even if the student met all the other listed requirements.