The
War at Home: Blackouts and War Bonds "Europe had been occupied, Russia and China invaded,
Britain bombed; only the United States among the great powers 'was fighting
this war on imagination alone.'"(7)
Two seemingly unrelated examples of life on the Worcester homefront share
an important role: they brought the war of imagination into the Village.
Blackouts and war bonds created direct participation for Quinsigamond
residents in a war fought miles and oceans away from the streets of Worcester.
People not overly caught up in the politics of the time entered the war
by the presence of blackouts and war bonds.
Blackouts
served two roles in the Village. They validated fear that the war could
come to America. They also gave civilians a chance to participate. Ordinary
citizens like Tora
Carpenter's father were recruited and joined as air raid wardens.
Thus, they were able to "do their part" for the war effort.
This desire for involvement reflected the feeling across America to participate
in war, to some how make an impact. Since fighting took place so far away,
many Americans, many Village residents, felt the war was distant. Blackouts
enlisted the community to, for that time, to enter the world of a country
at war. They created increased civilian participation. Tora's
father, an air raid warden with a sense of authority and importance, believed
that "they'll come hit Norton Company, then the mills." Clearly,
residents of Worcester believed they were making a war contribution worthy
of enemy attack.
Quinsigamond's children often recalled blackouts as scary.
This tone was echoed across the nation. (8)
Blackouts also created a disruption in normal routine. While the ground
never shook with bombs like European air raids, blackouts in Quinsigamond
were still reminders that life could not go on as usual. Martha
Erickson can testify to this. While in the hospital having her son,
there was a blackout! Clearly, even a country not under attack must always
be ready. Evelyn Grahn
recalls having to leave visits with friends early in order to make it
home before the blackouts began. During blackouts, Victoria
Rydberg's children feared the war would come to America. She told
us, "We'd hope and pray that it won't, that's why we had to help
those that were in the war that needed our help." 
One way Quinsigamond residents did this was through the purchase of war
bonds. Victoria Rydberg was responding
to the ideas being put out by the Department of Treasury. The Secretary
of the Treasury told Americans that the Treasury had opted to use war
bonds "primarily to give each and every one of you a chance to have
a financial stake in American democracy- an opportunity to contribute
towards the defense of that democracy."(9)
To encourage bond sales, the Treasury Dept. recruited Hollywood and propaganda
advertising campaigns. Herbert Berg
sold war bonds in his flower shop, "it was something that needed
to be accomplished."
Children contributed to the purchase of war bonds across the country.
Students would save their change to buy Victory stamps. Once they filled
their books with stamps, they could get a war bond, worth $25. Some students
reported giving up lunch so they could use their lunch money to buy stamps.
Children could buy stamps everywhere, even at school. And there was plenty
of propaganda aimed at them, too. One girl from Iowa recalled, "No
trip to the movies was complete without a brief pitch for bonds before
the main picture began."(10)
In many interviews, a contrast existed between the vividness of memories
of blackouts and the distance people felt from the war. For this reason,
air raids stand out as moments when Americans, when Quinsigamond residents,
felt part of the war. They even felt fear.
But these were only fleeting moments, often considered inconveniences.
For those without family directly involved, the war remained distant.
Such was the rationale for implementing war bonds, to sell the war. The
necessity to sell the war and remind residents what was going on is striking.
However, the vast success of the war bond campaign testifies to the power
of government propaganda during these years.