American+Children+During+War

=Children’s lives during WW2 = []

There were large labor shortages during WW2 with most of the men gone off to war. Attracted by waiting jobs, more kids dropped out of high school, and the teenage work force increased from 1 million to 3 million during the war. Federal inspectors in turn ignored the laws that regulated the employment of children.

 Despite the increase and rising wages family poverty increased causing many parents to move in search of work, taking their children with them. Some 20 million people existed on the border of starvation as families faced a severe shortage of housing, lack of schools, hospitals and child-care facilities, harming many american childrens childhoods.

Due to the hardships of war, their was an increase in divorce. This caused severe problems in the youth. Divorced, widowed, or simply mothers with their husbands at war had to work. This left thousands of “latchkey” children who were unsupervised the majority of the day. This caused a growth in the amount of juvenile delinquency, venereal disease and truancy, and a general breakdown of social laws.

Children were forced to grow up quickly during wartime. Many teenagers left school early to take jobs, leaving younger children to fend for themselves while their mothers worked. Families left their farms in the Midwest and big cities in the Northeast to the West and Gulf Coasts, where children had to adjust to new schools and make new friends.

War Saving stamps (WSS) []

War saving stamps was a patriotic program used by the United States treasury in order to collect money to fun World War 2. Stamps were available for either 10 or 25 cents, and the selling was aimed at school-age children. These stamps provided interest, or complete stamp collections could be redeemed for war bonds. The Mennonite Central Committee offered red Civilian Public Service stamps and blue war sufferers’ relief stamps for ten cents. These helped fund peaceful program and offered an alternative way for children that came from families who could not conscientiously fund the Red Cross to contribute to their country.

Boy and girl scouts were encouraged to help sell stamps, using the slogan “Every Scout to save a Soldier”. Children were also encouraged to learn a Saving Stamp Song, the chorus of which is:

Stamp, Stamp, Stamps that we are buying Fill up Folders one by one Soon we’ll have enough to get Bomb or tank or trim Corvette And our savings will put Hitler on the run

Scrap Metal Drives  []

Millions of young Americans turned their energies to collecting scrap metals, rubber, and rags to help turn the tide in the war effort. The supplies they collected would be used for weapons, bullets, cars and tires for the fighting men across Europe and the Pacific. Children played a key part in these scrap drives, often times being the main collectors. Even the foil on the outside of gum-rappers would be balled up and given to collection centers.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 18pt;">Japanese American Children []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Japanese children living within internment camps were given limited educational opportunities and unfit living conditions. Schools at the camps were often located inside barracks meant for other purposes and generally were bare of furniture. Sometimes the teacher had a desk and chair, usually she had only a chair. In the first few weeks many of the children had no desks or chairs and were forced to sit on the floor or stand up all day. They were given limited text books, laboratory equipment and other facilities. Many schools had no insulation as well. Japanese children were greatly affected by these unfit conditions.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Children and their families were taken from their homes, often times with only a forty-eight hour notice, and in some cases they would be separated from family members and placed in different camps. Children would have to leave pets and the many possessions they could not bring on the journey behind. Children were given no special treatment within the camps. Many were deeply affected by the presence of armed guards within the camps.

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