The Homefront

Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this highly acclaimed documentary explores the American homefront during World War II. Informed by historical scholarship, popular culture, and archival sources, including newsreels, letters, and photographs, it captures the transformative nature of war on the economy, migration patterns, and gender roles. Schechter especially highlights women and African-American men who suddenly found jobs that had been closed to them in the past. Interviews with veterans, defense industry workers, and Japanese internment camp victims also show the breadth and diversity of the American home front experience.