Love, War and a Suitcase

Walking Tour

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The Second World War shook the foundation of the American social structure—the family—to its core. Across the country, millions of Americans participated in massive wartime relocations. The draft siphoned off men overseas, leaving families to make do without the presence of fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. Women, too, found new opportunities to leave their hometowns for war jobs or service in the military. Their exposure to new types of people, places, and experiences in their everyday lives generated important changes in domestic life and social relations that would reverberate long into the postwar era.

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Upon the end of World War II, numerous Americans married and had children in record numbers, producing the “Baby Boom Generation.” But amidst societal pressures for a “return to normalcy,” more wives and mothers than ever spent more years working for wages outside the family on the national level. And more and more families established themselves away from their birthplaces, finding new jobs, and, at times, housing and education opportunities under the G.I. Bill. The lives of the veterans and their families highlighted here demonstrate these momentous societal changes. Each individual chose to raise a family after their service, but how, where, and even why they chose to settle down varied. These families paint a picture of new values, independence, and mobility of the postwar era.

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Digital Tour