Social and cultural changes in the USA

Works Progress Administration - Support for writers and musicians

FWP workers collected oral histories - interviewed old slaves

Under FWP over 275 books and 700 pamphlets were published

Included information about American cuisine, specialities and recipes

1935 support was offered to musicians in Federal Musicians Project to 1939

1935 Saul Bellow and other writers were documenting America's food and eating habits in America Eats

Included instrumentalists, singers and music teachers

American guide covered all 48 states and was the most listing achievement of the FWP

FMP attempted to produce high quality music and singing in different forms

Two well known projects were American State Guides and America Easys - aim was to produce written portrait of the diversity

Sponsored many New York musical groups which appeared on radio station WNYC

Federal Writers Project began in 1935 - aimed to offer employment to teachers, librarians and writers

In 1936 almost half of their broadcast hours were supported by the FMP

Employed 6000 people made up of everyday professionals and notable writers like Saul Bellow who won Nobel Peace Prize

In 4 years 7332 compositions by 2258 composers were funded

Much of this was produced under the Federal Art Project of the WPA

FMP-funded concerts were given in front of over 148m

By 1937 thousands of artists produced more than 15,000 individual pieces of art

Gave underrepresented minorities a chance to play music - low cost/free concerts were offered

WW2 and role of women

Black Americans and Fair Employment Practice Commission

This meant women stepped into the workforce as production increased during the war

Previously the role was for women to stay at home and raise children

Between 1941-45 the USA mobilised 11.9m men

Helped transform the role/status of women

Employers were reluctant to offer jobs but offered low wages and menial jobs

Even when black Americans were skilled they received low wages e.g Shipyard in Texas

Living conditions were overcrowded and black Americans were forced to live in segregated housing

Black workers saw their wages increase by 40% whereas whites went up by 60%

Gave black Americans opportunities for employment - encouraged further migration from the South

1943 - Executive Order 9346 introduced with FEPC budget increased by $500,000

This outlawed racial discrimination based on colour/origin

By 1945 8% of defence jobs were held by black Americans compared to 3% at the start

25 June 1941 FDR signed Executive Order 8802

FEPC was ended by Congress in 1946 - 2 attempts to recreate in 1946 and 1948 but these failed

Wartime domestic propaganda

War bonds were available to be bought by ordinary Americans - source of war funding

1945 marine soldiers raised a US flag on Mount Suribachi featured in a government advertisement campaign

There were posters warning against spreading gossip due to spies with slogans 'Loose lips, cost ships'

Propaganda could be viewed as a negative as it demonised the enemy

OWI created Rosie the Riveter and posters with the slogan 'woman power' to encourage women to take part in war industries

Germans and Japanese were depicted as bestial (sub-humans) who wanted to destroy the US way of life

Posters appeared across the USA in public places e.g railroad stations, billboards and schools

Office of War Information (OWI) - communicated government views on the war

USA helped gain popular support for the war through this

Power of Hollywood

12% of Hollywood actors joined up and 25% of Hollywood staff fought in the war

1942 Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck appeared in magazines like Coronet dressed as marines

Stars like Clarke Gable and James Stewart volunteered and joined the airforce

Disney produced two income tax films and produced cartoon posters selling war bonds - Fifth War Bond Drive in 1944

Director John Ford was employed to make films about the Naval wars

Successful campaign was encouraging Americans to grow their own food in 'victory gardens'

1942 best film went to Mrs Miniver about how a fictional British family stood up to Germans on the Home Front

Characters were popular and painted on warplanes

1941 Gary Cooper won Best Actor for portraying a US soldier who captured 20 German prisoners during WWI

Was an effective method in raising morale, explaining the war aims and supporting the government programmes

Committee hoped pro-British messages in films would help the cause of supplying Britain with Lend-Lease war materials

1942 OWI set up 2 sub agencies to supervise Hollywood

Senate subcommittee investigated if Hollywood was playing its part

Growth of radio

Popular music goes to war

1941 radio stations broadcast series of talks called Speaking of Liberty and You can't do business with Hitler in 1942

US Treasury sponsored many radio shows where war bonds were sold in commercial breaks

Effective way to get over the governments message

Sitcoms were popular and some were used to deal with issues like petrol rationing, buying war bonds and playing a part in USA's war effort

Most Americans had access to radio

He died in the war while travelling from Britain to France

Artie Shaw served in the Navy and led a jazz band which toured the Pacific combat zone playing to troops

Glenn Miller joined the army and his band toured European battlefields

Musical entertainment was part of government plans to ensure troops received effective moral support which included regular mail and decent food

Swing was the most popular style of band music in war years

Leading music stars played their full part in the war