1940 S Exigency Argument Essay
One definition of exigency is an urgent need or demand. Some synonyms are requirement and necessity. Therefore, doesn’t it just make sense that we should recognize the exigency, or important, issues of each decade. How else will we learn and improve? And what was more important in the 1940’s than World War II?
After World War I, our government reverted back to George Washington’s philosophy of no foreign alliances. This plan was changed after the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor, and thus initiated the United States into the war. This showed politicians then, and even now, that just because we are neutral does not mean that everyone else will treat us so.
The war provided an opportunity for women to get involved in the world of work, that would not have otherwise been available. With a large majority of US men having to fight in Europe, there was a drastic shortage of men to work in the factories. This was answered by the women who were available to work. By 1945, one third of all industrial workers were women, as opposed to one quarter before the war. These numbers were as high as 18,000 female workers in industry by 1945.
Propaganda images such as 'Rosie the Riveter ' began to symbolise the change from the women working at home to the women working in factories. By working in the factories they gained a higher income, however it was not equal to men. When the war ended many women were forced out of the factories so that men could once again
resume their role. This was however a major step towards the women jobs revolution, and was women’s first taste of full independence.
The war also provided an essential platform for the black civil rights movement later in 1950/60s. Before the Second World War black Americans were nearly always treated as second class citizens. However the war proved to change this. Before the war there was segregation in the armed forces. Black people were often given jobs in the kitchen and living quarters
After World War I, our government reverted back to George Washington’s philosophy of no foreign alliances. This plan was changed after the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor, and thus initiated the United States into the war. This showed politicians then, and even now, that just because we are neutral does not mean that everyone else will treat us so.
The war provided an opportunity for women to get involved in the world of work, that would not have otherwise been available. With a large majority of US men having to fight in Europe, there was a drastic shortage of men to work in the factories. This was answered by the women who were available to work. By 1945, one third of all industrial workers were women, as opposed to one quarter before the war. These numbers were as high as 18,000 female workers in industry by 1945.
Propaganda images such as 'Rosie the Riveter ' began to symbolise the change from the women working at home to the women working in factories. By working in the factories they gained a higher income, however it was not equal to men. When the war ended many women were forced out of the factories so that men could once again
resume their role. This was however a major step towards the women jobs revolution, and was women’s first taste of full independence.
The war also provided an essential platform for the black civil rights movement later in 1950/60s. Before the Second World War black Americans were nearly always treated as second class citizens. However the war proved to change this. Before the war there was segregation in the armed forces. Black people were often given jobs in the kitchen and living quarters
Cited: "The Good Effects of World War II." The Good Effects of World War II. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. "Impact of World War 2 on America WW2." HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. "The U.S. Home Front During World War II." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2014.