Rosie The Riveter Research Paper

Words: 1520
Pages: 7

“On June 28, 1919, the First World War came to its official end with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the peace imposed on Germany by the Allied powers.” (Cavendish, page 2.) Little did America know, World War II would soon breakout. When people today think about World War II, many words come to mind: nazis, Hitler, Jews, Holocaust, etc. “Schools have taught children about the horror that took place in Europe from 1939-1945. They have taught children how murderous, racist, and cruel Adolf Hitler was. Students have learned so much about how Germany overruled many countries in Europe, and how terribly other countries were left off. But, they haven’t taught children of how it had affected American people. Many men were sent to war to fight …show more content…
Rosie the Riveter was a propaganda campaign that represented how women were beginning to be employed because men went off to war. Although it was a mainly for social commentaries, the illustration reminds America how women were finally able to get out of the kitchen and get to work. The campaign illustrates how women workers were being recruited to the munitions industry. Not only that, but “more than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry in 1943, making up 65 percent of the industry’s total workforce.” ( History.com ) It was a very inspiring image, and it helped almost 400,000 women all together accquire carreers. Rosie the Riveter was partially based on a real life munitions worker, but she was “primarily a fictitious character.” Rosie consisted of a red spotted bandanna, on a yellow background with a speech bubble, saying "We can do it!" The Saturday Evening Post published an image by the artist Norman Rockwell on May 29, 1943, portraying Rosie with the American flag as the background, and a copy of Hitler's racist remark, "Mein Kampf," (meaning "My fight,") under her feet. The project really took off when a popular song debuted in 1943. Written by Redd Evans and John Jacob, the song titled "Rosie the Riveter" helped the campaign name go down in history. Rosie's campaign became "one of the most successful recruitment tools in American history," and it became the most ideal picture of women being recruited in the World War II