Military+Victory+Gardens+&+Scrap+Drives

Victory Gardens and Metal Scrap Drives; to Benefit Military 

** Victory Gardens ** In 1917, Charles Lathrop Pack organized the National War Garden Commission and began the "morale booster" called victory gardening. Victory gardens were used in both World Wars, they served the same purpose: to ensure enough food for all civilians and troops. The US wasn't the only country to urge its citizens to grow their own food, the UK, Canada, and Germany also used prop. In 1941, the year we entered WW2, the government rationed sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods for the military, rather then civilians. Shortages in jobs also made it difficult to harvest and ship fruits and vegetables to market, another reason victory gardens were urged. About 20 million Americans started their own garden, in their home or in public (as gardens could be found from window sill boxes, back yards, to city rooftops) as estimated by the US Department of Agriculture. When in doubt, or low on supplies, one could always co-op with neighbors, or even turn to most women's magazines; as they often held instructions on how to grow and preserve produce. Vegetation harvested in homes and communities were found to be estimated to be about 9-10 million tons, just as much as all commercial production of vegetables, defiantly making a contrast. But as World War II came to an end, so did the victory gardens. By that time agriculture was not yet ready for full production for grocery stores, so food shortages occurred.



** Scrap Drives ** “Many an unsuspecting Dayton housewife helps Hitler every day. One look at the city dump shows why. For there, resting in peace, are thousands of rusty cans from which the vital tin can never be reclaimed for the war effort.” -The Journal Herald of Dayton 1942

As the Great Depression and war efforts left many jobless, most learned to live without. So rationing, food stamps, and scrap drives came into affect, in hopes that the military would be more efficient. In 1942 the government began to limit purchases of sugar, coffee, meat, fish, butter, eggs, cheese, shoes, rubber and gasoline; but many still learned to live without. In a time of need for military equipment, different points in America began to have scrap drives; where household implements could be donated, recycled, and put to war efforts. Many Americans participated, seeking a way to help with the war. Collections often included kitchen fat, rags, engine grease, rubber, and paper. Paper was used for packaging military implements, grease and kitchen fat was used for ammunition, every type of metal was used for bombs, and rubber... Well, rubber was supposed to hold a purpose, but we learn now that rubber was collected for no purpose. We needed rubber, for without trade with other countries was limited (another reason for economic and consumer troubles) but we had no way to recycle (yet do we today). Feeling the great American Pride, people began to get out of hand, tearing apart and "donating" public monuments and historical objects, like a Civil war canon, used at Fort Omaha. With the great feeling of regret that came after the war, proof has also come forward that most of the scrap collected were not even used in the war, but collected for nothing. Simple propaganda.

 **Conclusion** <span class="s1" style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">To be an American means to live without, and put as much effort into your countries decisions as possible. To be able to provide for yourself by a garden or canning, or even to donate everything you own for the greater good of the military. Who knew tin cans could save lives?

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;"> When it comes down to what's worth fighting for, we should fight for the greater good of all humans, not just our country. We provided help to other humans during the war (other then the other soldiers), and those at home collected and donated to help the stumbling economy. We should fight for the right to live, and to help others be able to live.

// This website seems very credible, it is entirely about historical events in Dayton, Ohio. It was created in 2004, originally based on the works of a local historian, but now the site collaborates with local universities, libraries, archives, business's and individual accounts. Their belief statements says their goal is to provide information on past culture and heritage in the ares, for teachers and students alike. The source goes into detail on what the scrap drives collected and each items purposes. It also contains a quote or two, historical facts and plenty of general info, a very good source. // // This site is also very credible. Being written in Nebraska, it’s all about farming. Farming history, farming logs, farming machinery, everything. It’s a pretty good site, it goes into great detail about how people learned to give up ‘necessities’. The quotes and audio are very interesting, supplying lots of first hand experiences and great stories. The theme of the over-all site is interesting, as well. The website has loads of character, like I’m talking to an old timer in person. // // This site is also very credible. Being written in Nebraska, it’s all about farming. Farming history, farming logs, farming machinery, everything. It’s a pretty good site, it goes into great detail about how people learned to give up ‘necessities’. The quotes and audio are very interesting, supplying lots of first hand experiences and great stories. The theme of the over-all site is interesting, as well. The website has loads of character, like I’m talking to an old timer in person. // >
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 170%;">Bibliography **
 * //Information://**
 * "Home Sweet Home Front: Dayton During World War II." //DAYTON HISTORY BOOKS FREE ONLINE//. Web. 9 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * "Rationing and Scrap Drives in Rural America." //The Wessels Living History Farm, the Story of Agricultural Innovation//. Web. 9 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * "Victory Gardens during World War II." //The Wessels Living History Farm, the Story of Agricultural Innovation//. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * //Pictures://**
 * "The Seeds of Victory - WWI Posters For Sale - Vintagraph Fine-Art Wall Prints and Posters." //Vintagraph - Vintagraph Fine-Art Wall Prints and Posters//. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * "War Food Administration Victory Garden Posters." //Watch My Food Grow — South Florida Raised Vegetable Garden//. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * "US WWII Poster - Donate Scrap Metal." //Time Money And Blood - Articles, Information and Photos on WWII//. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. < [] >.
 * //Both://**
 * Adams, Cecil. "The Straight Dope: Were WWII Scrap Drives Just a Ploy to Boost Morale?" //The Straight Dope - Fighting Ignorance Since 1973//. Web. 09 Jan. 2012. < [] >.