What is the "Home Front?"
You have learned a little bit about World War II from reading the Molly books in the American Girls series. You have seen how the war affected Molly's family. What did the war do to other American families? How did everyday life in the United States change when all the soldiers went off to war?
So what is the "home front", anyway? The term "home front" means the civilian area during wartime. In other words, it means any place where people live but fighting is not taking place. America was called the "home front" during World War II because while American soldiers were involved in the war much of the fighting was not taking place on American soil. Molly's family in Illinois, for example, did not see any actual battles. They were safely on the home front while her father was overseas taking care of wounded soldiers.
This pathfinder was designed to help you learn more about life on the American home front during World War II. You can find links to different kinds of sources in the navigation bar to the left. The sources are organized by topic and by format. The first section gives you sources that give a general background of World War II. There are not very many of them and they are meant only to give a brief overview of what was going on during the war. After all, you cannot understand what was going on on the American home front if you do not know why we had a home front to begin with! The following sections organize resources about life on the home front by format. I have included websites, databases, an interactive book, a video, and print books. Most materials are aimed at students grades 3 and up. If some materials are too difficult for you to understand, do not hesitate to ask your teacher, librarian, or a parent for help. You should be able to access most materials from your home and school or local library.
Carli Worthman. S603. 19 February 2008.
