Building A Life

"Peace!"

That one word, blazoned across the front pages of newspapers nationwide, heralded the end of World War II. It also signaled a long anticipated return to "normalcy" for millions of Americans as newly discharged G.I.s and their families began to pick up the pieces of interrupted lives. Aided by the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (commonly known as the "G.I. Bill of Rights"), veterans found themselves with opportunities for a future brighter than they could have imagined before the war. Under the Act, which provided financial assistance through low-interest loans, thousands were able to attend college, finance a home, and start up new businesses. It was a time for settling down, beginning a family, and building a career.

The end of the war ushered in an era of unprecedented prosperity. Minnesota companies like 3M, General Mills and Northwest Airlines prospered, with many branching out into national and international markets with innovative products and services.

For Minnesota women, many of whom had tasted a new independence while in the military or in jobs left vacant by fighting men, the end of the war meant a return to more traditional roles: wife and mother, secretary, telephone operator, and teacher. Some, encouraged by the challenges met during the war, continued to seek less traditional paths, breaking new ground for generations to come.

Members of the state's minority groups had also made strides for equality during the war, but still faced discrimination at home. The long struggle of the Civil Rights movement began to gather strength in the post-war years as people of color began to be recognized for their contributions and the nation's social conscience was slowly awakened.

Citations:

• St. Paul Dispatch, August 14, 1945. Minnesota Historical Society: Minnesota's Greatest Generation Project - V-J Day
• Document: It's your "G.I. Bill of Rights."
• 3M History At A Glance. 3M, 2008.
• General Mills: Our History. General Mills, 2008.
• Northwest Historical Timeline: 1940s. Northwest Airlines, 2008.
• Northwest Historical Timeline: 1950s. Northwest Airlines, 2008.
• Photo: Woman and three children in basement house, 1947.
• Photo: Fay N. Christenson, legal secretary at her desk, 1952.
• Photo: Minnesota State Capitol main switchboard operators at work: Frances Stevens, Anna Kjeldsen, Helen Frey and Chief operator, Lucille Woolever, 1947.
• Photo: Mrs. Evelyn Graupman, kindergarten teacher, telling students a story, Gibbs School, Falcon Heights, 1959.
• Photo: Woman working in a shop forging metals, 1950.
• African American Civil Rights Movement. Minnesota Historical Society: Library: History Topics, 2008.