Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Great Plains During World War II

I love it when I accidentally stumble upon a terrific resource.


The Great Plains During World War II website is a digital archive of some terrific primary and secondary resources pertaining to the specific events that occurred in the Great Plains region during the war.

As a lifelong resident of Nebraska, this is a treasure trove for me. But it's also a fascinating glimpse into the specific challenges the Heartland of America faced. Farming is a big topic for this region, and this site has excellent resources for learning about labor shortage, the training of women farmers, and the government's need for production increase, plus much more.

What makes this a wonderful site is the inclusion of the actual period sources. For a historian like myself who doesn't have a lot of time to travel to archives, it's a God-send.

From the site:
The Great Plains during World War II explores civilian and military life in the region from Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 to the surrender of Japan in August 1945. This project emphasizes life on the home front, agriculture, and military affairs. It provides access to congressional debates about isolationism, newspaper articles concerning the major issues of the day, and government documents that inform us about important public policies that affected the men, women, and children who lived in the Great Plains during the war years. The photographs, posters, and illustrations provide visual access to the past through the eyes of contemporaries while the textual information helps the reader learn more about life in the region during World War II.

1 comment:

Valerie Boersma said...

What an invaluable site! I'm book marking it too!