Chicago goes to war.

• Author: Lewis, Russell

Tending victory gardens, collecting scrap, and conducting war bond drives, the Windy City fought World War II on the homefront until the end of the conflict brought celebrations to its streets.

When Americans entered World W War II more than a half-century ago, no one could anticipate the full consequences on his or her life and on generations to follow. Uncertainty abounded. Nobody knew how, long the war would last, when or if loved ones would return home, or even if the Allies would emerge victorious. In contemplating the post-war U.S., few citizens longed for a new world order; instead, most yearned for a return to the safety and familiarity of pre-war life.

World War II brought momentous change, redefining boundaries, reshaping landscapes and cities, reforming identities and allegiances, and giving new meaning to the horrors of death and destruction. The years 1941-45 were intensely emotional for Americans. Heightened feelings of patriotism and pride were tempered by periods of anxiety, fear, frustration, tension, strife, and grief. Although the U.S. escaped the devastation that much of Europe and Asia suffered, the nation's most fundamental social institutions - family, home, neighborhood, and workplace - nevertheless were transformed by the war effort.

Chicago's experiences in many ways were typical and in other ways unique as its people attempted to cope with the conflict and the changes it brought. Chicagoans, like Americans everywhere, participated in government-sanctioned domestic programs and activities that tended to be similar throughout the nation - everything from victory gardens to mock bombings, war bond drives, and collecting scrap. However, as the nation's transportation hub, the city ideally was suited to be the central handling point of military personnel and materiel. In addition, Chicago's diverse manufacturing capability, coupled with its crossroads position, gave the city a major role in war production.

Chicago also was unique in its efforts to promote interracial understanding and cooperation among its citizens at a time when other major cities were plagued by race riots. Chicagoans welcomed the resettlement of over 20,000 Japanese-Americans released from internment camps in the West, more than in any other city in the nation. For students of U.S. history, an examination of Chicago's homefront experience yields a richly detailed portrait of urban life during wartime.

Keeping the home

fires burning

An exhibition...