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Summer School - American History MCCMXLII

Submitted by Albin Johnson - July 25, 2005

Discuss the following words with anyone under the age of 60, especially grand children!

The Home Front, FDR, Rosie, Recycling, Rationing, Civil Defense, Blackouts, V Mail, A B C Gas Stamps, Savings Bonds

(Match the words with the pictures)




Answers


Gas was rationed because the Japanese had first invaded So East Asia and controlled the rubber plantations which produced the latex for tires. So we needed to cut back on unnecessary driving, makes sense? The A B C windshield stickers identified the driver as needing more or less gasoline to do his or her job. Farmers and many truckers got A's. They could usually get all they needed. A side note was that an estimated 32,500 drivers were arrested for trying to use forged stickers and coupons. Other imported products such as sugar and coffee were rationed. Butter, don't know why, but fats were collected and also rationed because they were used in making explosives. This is when Oleo cam into being. Metals, especially aluminum ware was collected in wire bins placed on our street corners downtown. I suspect many a sharp metal dealer got rich as the average home owner didn't get any money for these donations. Savings bond stamps were easier for young people to buy rather than spending $25 - $100 to buy bonds. V mail was invented so families and service people could easily and quickly correspond with loved ones. A special form was used (it limited the amount of writing) that then could be photographed and reduced into a film form to conserve space and weight and able to be flown easier and faster and then processed into smaller letters..