Objective: To help visitors gain insight into the events which influenced the homefront.

Background: This simulation will follow the lives of five families during the school year of September 1943-June 1944. This specific time period was chosen because the war was in full swing, yet it was not yet clear what way it would go. (This simulation uses American families and deals with the American homefront of World War II. It is our hope that visitors from nations other than the United States would suggest characters and fates in our Participation section so that we can add multinational functionality to the simulation.)

Activities: There are four main activities - writing journal entries, experiencing fates, developing an issue campaign, and making a scrapbook or artifact box. Although the activities are online, instructions can be printed and used in the classroom.

Jackson Family of Five Mr. Jackson: 52 Mrs. Jackson: 48 Children: Robert: 23 William: deceased at 19 Jennifer: 8 Charles: 8 Occupation: Farmers Location: just outside of Tuskegee, AL More on the Jackson Family The Jackson family originally had two parents, two older sons, and a set younger twins. The second son, William, joined the US Navy in 1939 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor, USA. He is now dead, which gives the other brother a reason to hate the Japanese. Robert, the elder brother, then joined the US Air Force to take revenge for his brother.

Perez Family of Eight Mr. Ramirez: 84 Mrs. Ramirez: 83 Mr. Perez: 54 Mrs. Perez: 51 Children: Jose: 22 Marietta: 16 Marcos: 10 Suzzana: 6 Occupation: Factory Workers Location: Pittsburgh, PA More on the Perez Family The Perez family emigrated from Mexico in 1924, during the "Roaring Twenties" to better themselves financially. During this time they did well, but they were poverty stricken during the Great Depression. Now, the men in the family have jobs in munitions factories and family life is once again good. The family includes the parents of the mother (Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez), parents, and four children.

Swanson Family of Four Mr. Swanson: 62 Mrs. Swanson: 63 Children: Emily: 30 Michael: 24 Occupation: runs radio station Location: Galesburg, IL More on the Swanson Family The Swanson family is a well-off family, which owns the CBS radio affiliate in Galesburg, Illinois. However, they are pacifists and are against the war. Mr. Swanson had been a great admirer Charles Lindbergh. This puts them at odds with their son, who is in the US Air Force, and many other Americans, who believe that people who are against the war are against freedom, the American way of life, etc. Their daughter is a reporter in Chicago for the Chicago Tribune and covers many aspects of the war.

Ogawa Family of Five Mrs. Ogawa: 61 Mr. Ogawa: 34 Mrs. Ogawa: 34 Children: Suzuki: 14 Hideki: 9 Occupation: grocery store owners Location: Manzanar More on the Ogawa Family The Ogawa family, consisting of three generations (grandparent, parents, children), emigrated to the United States in 1929. They began a grocery store in downtown San Francisco, California and were prospering until Dec. 6, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and forced the US. into war with that nation. Due to the extreme prejudice of white Americans, this naturalized American family, along with others like them, was forced from their home and store to a compound called a relocation camp for Japanese Americans during the war.

Blech Family of Five Mr. Cohen: 51 Mrs. Cohen: 55 Mr. Blech: 41 Mrs. Blech: 39 Children: Emily: 15 Occupation: immigration business Location: New York City, NY More on the Blech Family The Blech family emigrated from Germany as Hitler began to discriminate against Jews. It consists of two parents and a child and the brother-in-law and sister of the father (the Cohens), who came to USA in 1930, before Hitler and the Nazis. The brothers-in-law started a business which aids other German citizens in escaping the Nazis.

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