The Homefront
Civilians at home faced an array of challenges during the war. Universities bolstered declining enrollment by contracting with the military to provide training to new recruits. Students and staff participated in Red Cross volunteer drives, knitting and sewing clothes and other materials to be distributed to soldiers overseas. Over 20 million citizens planted "victory gardens," growing and preserving their own food so that farm-produced food could be sent overseas to support U.S. troops and their Allies.
Students browsing the Vanderbilt War Library in the Joint Universities Library
Building. This book collection was composed of War Department publications
about the war effort.
[Vanderbilt University Photographic Archives]
Air cadets studying in the reading room of the Joint Universities Library
building.
[Vanderbilt University Photographic Archives]
Victory Garden being tended on the George Peabody College campus.
[George Peabody College Photograph Collection]
Four students volunteer knitting for the Red Cross in the Joint Universities
Library building.
[Vanderbilt University Photographic Archives]
Air Cadets studying in the main reading room of the George Peabody College
library.
[George Peabody College Photograph Collection]
Students and staff volunteer sewing for the Red Cross at George Peabody College.
[George Peabody College Photograph Collection]
In 1942, the U.S. instituted nationwide food rationing. Each member of a
family was issued a ration book, containing stamps which could be exchanged
for scarce items like sugar and coffee. Ration stamps became a form of currency
and were highly valued.
[J. E. Finley Papers]
The back cover of the ration book above. Note the warning against buying
black market items and the admonishment to salvage tin and metal for the war
effort.
[J. E. Finley Papers]
This is a sample of the ration stamps remaining in the book above. "Sugar"
and "coffee" stamps could be used toward the purchase of those items.
"Spare" stamps were sometimes used to purchase extra rations of
pork.
[J. E. Finley Papers]
The ration book above also contained this appeal to curtail sugar consuption
because national supplies were low.
[J. E. Finley Papers]