Summer Residential Program: Day 1—Examining the Phrase “We’re All in This Together”

Image courtesy of Library of Congress Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection

Students participating in the Museum’s 2014 Summer Residential Program will take an 8 week online course through Nicholls State University that prepares them to think critically about the causes, events and outcomes of World War II. Following the course, students will arrive at the Museum to examine documents and artifacts relating to military actions, Home Front production and societal effects.

On their first day at the Museum, students will examine the meaning of the phrase “We’re all in this together,” a popular statement during the war years. Rather than blindly accepting the statement, students will begin the day by exploring the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center to study the productive capacity of America’s workforce, hear the stories of women who contributed and debate the actions of conscientious objectors.

World War II-era yearbooks from high schools all across the country will be made available so that students can see how young people supported the war effort through both school-directed initiatives and individual initiative. Many students joined groups such as the Victory Corps to gain skills in math, science and physical education that would prove necessary for joining the war effort. Other students collected scrap, purchased war bonds and volunteered with the Red Cross. The yearbooks provide insights into these actions and much more.

Concluding Day One, students will research the stories of several conscientious objectors to determine how they connect with or reject the phrase “We’re all in this together.” More than 42,000 Americans claimed conscientious objector status during WWII. The experiences of religious groups like the Quakers and Mennonites who found ways to support the war effort in ways outside of the military and individuals like John Abbott who refused to support the war effort in any material way will give students a deeper perspective on the American Home Front in World War II and the ways in which it supplied the material and training necessary for victory.

Registration for the 2014 Summer Residential Program is ongoing. To register or receive more information, call 1-877-813-3329, ext. 514 or visit us here.