Essays

World War II

The essays in this section have been written by leading scholars of American history. They provide additional depth on events and ideas referred to in the introductory essay and, in some cases, different interpretations by historians looking at the same events. These essays are particularly useful in introducing your students to one of the most exciting aspects of studying history—understanding the past from a variety of perspectives.

Omaha Beach, France, by Joseph Gary Sheahan, 1944. (US Army)

D-Day or Operation Overlord, June 6, 1944

Author: Antony Beevor Curriculum Subjects: World History Grade Levels: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Every Citizen a Soldier: World War II Posters on the American Home Front

Author: William L. Bird Jr. and Harry Rubenstein Curriculum Subjects: Art, Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Adolf Hitler, n.d. (LOC) and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (GLC)

FDR and Hitler: A Study in Contrasts

Author: David M. Kennedy Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Franklin Roosevelt addressing Congress, March 1, 1945. (NARA 196081)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt—Four-Term President—and the Election of 1944

Author: Matthew Dallek Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels:
Notice of relocation for Persons of Japanese Ancestry, 1942. (Gilder Lehrman C

From Citizen to Enemy: The Tragedy of Japanese Internment

Author: Julie Des Jardins Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics, World History Grade Levels: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Battery B, 338th Antiaircraft Artillery, ca. 1943. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

Patriotism Crosses the Color Line: African Americans in World War II

Author: Clarence Taylor Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Music Inspires, 1941 - 1945

The Forties and the Music of World War II

Author: Elihu Rose Curriculum Subjects: Art Grade Levels: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

The History of Women’s Baseball

Author: Kerry Candaele Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Soldiers without Guns poster, Office of War Information, ca. 1944. (NARA)

The World War II Home Front

Author: Allan M. Winkler Curriculum Subjects: Economics, Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+

Essays from Other Sub-Eras

is Communism Un-American, by Eugene Dennis (1947). (National Archives)

Anti-Communism in the 1950s

Author: Wendy Wall Curriculum Subjects: Grade Levels:

Born Modern: An Overview of the West

Author: Richard White Curriculum Subjects: Geography, Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt, July 20, 1933. (Library of Congress Prints and

Eleanor Roosevelt as First Lady

Author: Maurine Beasley Curriculum Subjects: Grade Levels:

The Civil Rights Movement: Major Events and Legacies

Author: James T. Patterson Curriculum Subjects: Art, Government and Civics, Literature Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Boulder (later, Hoover) Dam on the Colorado River, 1941. (Library of Congress)

The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II in the American West

Author: Elliott West Curriculum Subjects: Economics, Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Grade Levels:

The Korean War

Author: Allan R. Millett Curriculum Subjects: World History Grade Levels: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Poster for an exhibition in Chicago, detail. (Library of Congress P&P)

The WPA: Antidote to the Great Depression?

Author: Nick Taylor Curriculum Subjects: Art, Economics, Government and Civics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, World History Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Conference of Republican National Committee Women, 1927. (LOC, P&P)

Women in American Politics in the Twentieth Century

Author: Sara Evans Curriculum Subjects: Government and Civics Grade Levels: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+