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What was Pratt Institute’s participation and attitude towards the Homefront of World War II?
The United States entry into World War II and the establishment of the Homefront, reshaped the daily lives of citizens. The homefront was responsible for the production of all war related materials, resulting in the transformation of daily life, as women filled the gaps left behind within the workforce. Children would participate in air raid drills and create model air planes for the Air Defense Corps, and families would use ration cards as well as grow victory gardens.
New York would transform as,
63 million tons of supplies and more than 3 million men shipped out from New York Harbor, and at the height of the war, a ship left every 15 minutes. The Brooklyn Navy Yard doubled its size and employed 70,000 people, including many women; it became the largest shipbuilding facility in the country at the time.(Teicher, Jordan. “Incredible Images Capture WWII New York” Slate, 24 July. 2013, https://slate.com/culture/2013/07/new-york-historical-society-exhibits-shows-new-york-city-during-wwii-photos.html. Accessed 11 May 2021.)
Within this transformation of New York City, institutions would also take up the role of supporting the Homefront, including Pratt Institute.
Looking over this newspaper page, what evidence of the homefront can we find but also what other aspects of daily life can we find? How might this source, be a reflection or a snapshot of contemporary life during World War II?
Looking over this newspaper page, what evidence of the homefront can we find but also what other aspects of daily life can we find? How might this source, be a reflection or a snapshot of contemporary life during World War II?
Larger_Newspaper.pdfPrattler, Volume 3, Number Six, 1941.
Pratt Institute’s administration, faculty, and students contributed to the Homefront of World War II in a multitude of ways. Pratt Institute's administration and faculty led by the Institute’s former president, Charles M. Pratt, made public announcements advocating for the Institute and its members to support the war effort.
In this article Charles M. Pratt argues that the institution and members cannot remain indifferent to World War II:
"What part can Pratt Institute, its staff and students, play in this crisis? It is impossible that we can continue a policy of "business as usual." We must stand ready to answer when we are called by our Government. Yet at the same time I advise that we await developments. Each one of us will know when and where men and women are needed most and surely our present jobs are worthwhile contributions to defense and the future. May I point out the following:
The industrial program for which our engineering students are fitting themselves will be expanded rather than curtailed because of the country's entry into the war. The armed forces will be filled by the orderly process of selection as needed. Actual war work cannot be done by all. If one of us is called to put on a uniform, he must go. If another is needed more in industry or in training for industry, he should stay."
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