Changes in American Family during World War II - Annotated Bibliography Example

English Annotated Bibliography, Changes in America Family during World War 2 Thesis The war has many negative consequences not only for a nation but also in the structures of the society. In the event of World War II, the American society experience a lot of social and economic pressure that created permanent marks on the America families that are still evident today. Although there was a considerable family development over the period of the war, it is clear that the family structure was redefined and crowned with a new face that defines the modern family structures. The period of World War II was a period when the family experienced the worst structural changes in the history of America. Harper, Marilyn. World War II and the American Home Front. New York: National Park Services. 2007. Print Harper starts by expressing the time of World War II as a “… period of large and lasting changes” (7). She covers vividly the historical timeline of the war and the various consequences that this had on the American Society. Focusing on the home front, migration was evidenced and at least one fifth of the people had moved from their original place. Over 16 million men and women were enrolled in the army within this time, the majority of them leaving their children orphaned and homeless (51). Additionally, the women’s role and child care elements of the family were affected by the war (61-62). Harper also points out that the period after was a time that the nation recovered from the economic depression and that the war changed America, to some extent, for good. One positive change that occurred in the family is that women were empowered and the society more conscious of women (61). The text provides comprehensive information pertaining to the chronological changes of the social and economic adjustments and their impact on the home front. There is evidence of changes in family structures and roles and all the pressures that led to these changes. I will use this information to develop a historical coverage of the family changes during the time of the war and to compare the bad and good effects of the war. Weighing the two matters will assist me to advance a conclusion that supports my hypothesis. Herwing, Miriam. A Mim’s Eye View of the Heart of Vermont. 2012. Accessed from: < http://vermonthistory.org/journal/81/VHS8101BookReviews.pdf > [Accessed on 11th Nov, 2013] Herwing portrays the harsh conditions of the World War 2. All the army was expected to join in war as more people including women were recruited after the president declared that every person stand out to show their loyalty for the country. As the situation demanded, people joined in the war without even considering the risk that they were exposing themselves to and to their families. Herwing points out that “Milkweed was harvested by children ostensibly for life jacket” to portray the kind of vulnerability that every citizen was exposed during this time of the war (109). Children contributed to the war by gathering plants for life jackets that were not even adequate to protect their parents during a time of war. This is the reason why many people died in the war and single parent families came to existence. In addition, women who remarried after the death of their husbands brought about families that had more than one father, a structure that did not exist in the family. This source states in black and white the risky situation that existed at the time of war and the challenges that even the minor-most of the family had to overcome. This information backs up the Hirschman, Hill and Bauman argument on the harshness of the conditions at the time of war. Consequently, I will use this information in providing the matters on ground that rendered the family structure more vulnerable to social problems. Using “milky weeds for Lifejackets” was risking the family to the danger of losing a parent leading to a new face of the American family, as Lamana and Reiddman calls it. Lamana, Ann and Riedmann, Agnes. Marriages & families: making choices in a diverse  Society. Belmont, Calif: Thomson. 2009. Print. Lamana and Riedmann provide a definition of a normal family structure and the roles of the members of a particular family (4). They define a normal family as an entity of a mother and father and children living together in the same social setting. They denote the role of the parents as “to raise children responsibly” which binds parents to the roles of providing food, shelter and any other necessities for the children. This was the definition of the family in the American at the time before World War 2. Family structures are altered due to existence of socioeconomic pressures that impact on family structure. After the World War 2, a time of social pressure, the family structures obtained a new face which is denoted as “new faces of American Families” (14). These authors seem to appreciate that family structure and functions are dynamic and are expected to change depending on the changes in the environment surrounding them (23). In future I will use this article developing a concrete definition of a normal family and the functions of parental roles before the onset of the World War 2. This will provide me with a ground to compare the earlier family structures that existed before the war and those that emerged soon after the War in America. As Lamana and Reidman suggest that “we live in a society characterized by considerable change” America family was affected by the social pressure that existed during the time of the War (23). Institute of Economics and Peace. Economics Consequences of War on the US Economy. 2011. Web. Accessed from :< http://economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/ uploads/2011/09/The-Economic-Consequences-of-War-on-US-Economy.pdf> [Accessed on 14th Nov, 2012] This article presents a report on the economic crisis that existed during the period of the World War II. The employment rate was about 1.9% during this period with the majority being the Black Americans who were discriminated in the labor market (7). At the same time, the war was financed with increased tax rate and the people had to part with a large part of their little salary (5). In addition “…the government spending dominated…” (7). Statistics indicate that the highest level of economic crisis was experienced during this period as compared to other historical times of the American war. This economic crisis lead women to resort to the search for employment and this became a new social structure that appreciated women as home providers. This marked a change in the family structure where the man was previously the sole breadwinner. This article is rich in information concerning the socioeconomic situation that existed at the time of war. As Lamana and Reidman suggest, societal pressures have a considerable impact on the nature of a family. Hirschman, Hill and Bauman point out that this was a period of “great depression and unemployment” which points to the forces underpinning the change in the family that were evident during this period of the war. I will use this article to express the social and economic pressures that changed the definition of a family from its original form during the period before the war, to the new face of the American family after the war ended. Summary The sources above are related to the changes that occurred in the America family during the period of the world. They provide the definition of a normal family before the war and give the new face of the family after the war. Also, they provide information on the changes in the social and the economic aspects during the war that impacted change on the family. They all seem to converge in the idea of the hypothesis that the World War II had a negative impact on the family structure more than ever in the history of America. The economic crisis, discrimination, death of parents, migration and discrimination are all pointers of a destabilized family, which has a permanent mark on the American family. Read More