(H)our History Lesson: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Comparing and Connecting WWII Home Front Cities

“Pittsburgh, Pa. The coopers plant at the Penola, Inc. grease plant, where large drums and containers are reconditioned Here a workman lifts a drum from a boiling lye solution which has cleaned it from grease and dirt particles,” March 1944

Gordon Parks; Library of Congress

About this Lesson

This lesson is part of a series teaching about the World War II home front, with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania designated as an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains photographs, two readings, optional documentary extension, and a culminating mastery project. The first reading shares the voices of several Pittsburgh citizens to the President, and the second connects Pittsburgh to the designation of a Heritage City. The culminating project contributes to learners’ understandings of the city as a WWII Heritage City, with the opportunity to combine lesson themes from the three other lessons in the Pittsburgh lesson collection. This is to summarize the city’s contributions and encourage connections to the overall U.S. home front efforts.
Explore more lessons about World War II at Teaching with Historic Places.

Objectives:

In a culminating product:

1. Identify important World War II home front locations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and describe their historical significance

2. Summarize the contributions of diverse Pittsburgh civilians and service members to home front wartime efforts

3. Evaluate the short- and long-term changes experienced in Pittsburgh, such as economic, social, geographical, and environmental changes

4. Optional: Describe similarities and differences of Pittsburgh, PA and other Heritage city(s) / World War II home front(s).

Materials for Students:

1. Photos 1 – 4

2. Readings 1, 2

3. Maps, project materials (as needed)

4. Student graphic organizers (See photo 5 at end of lesson, for reference)

Creating Student Graphic Organizers

1. Create Comparison Matrices for your students to use. To compare two cities, create a one-page sheet with three columns and four rows. Label the left column Theme/Topic and the other columns City 1 and City 2. For a Comparison Matrix for three cities simply add an additional column. 

2. Create two Single-Point Rubrics to assist students’ self-assessment. One is for assessing proficiency in meeting teacher-selected standards. One is for assessing proficiency in meeting objectives. 

3. For the rubric on standards, create a one-page sheet with three columns and four rows of content. Label the first column “Areas for Improvement,” the second column, “Proficient (Meeting Standard),” and the third column, “Areas of Exceeding Standard.”  Leave the first and third columns blank.  In each row of the second column identify a Standard and indicate a space for noting the evidence for meeting the standard.  Include a space at the bottom of the page for assigning points for each column. 

4. For the rubric on objectives, create a one-page sheet with three columns and four rows of content. Label the first column “Areas for Improving toward Objective,” the second column, “Proficient (Meeting Objective),” and the third column, “Areas of Exceeding Objective.” Leave the first and third columns blank. In the four rows of the second column identify these four objectives:  

• Objective: Identify important World War II home front locations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and describe their historical significance 
• Objective: Summarize the contributions of diverse Pittsburgh civilians and service members to home front wartime efforts  
• Objective: Evaluate the short- and long-term changes experienced in Pittsburgh, such as economic, social, geographical, and environmental changes 
• Objective: (Optional) Describe similarities and differences of Pittsburgh, PA and other Heritage city(s) / World War II home front(s). 

Include a space at the bottom of the page for assigning points for each column. See the last photo of this lesson for reference. 

Getting Started: Essential Question

Why was Pittsburgh chosen as an American World War II Heritage City, and what are its similarities and differences to other home front cities?

Quotation to consider:

“Pittsburgh has a long and rich history of providing the materials and manpower to change the world. During World War II, Pittsburgh served as one of the nation’s crucial defense manufacturing centers. In the decades since local organizations and residents have preserved this critical legacy in museums, memorials, and local programing. Understanding and honoring our history is vital to building a better Pittsburgh, and a better world, for all of our children.”

- Mayor Ed Gainey, City of Pittsburgh press release, December 16, 2022, on receiving the designation of an American World War II Heritage City

Read to Connect

Reading 1: Voices of Pittsburgh: “Dear Mr. President”

This recording is from January or February 1942. It can be listened to online from the Library of Congress.  

Unidentified Man: You will now hear several speakers from different walks of life forming a cross-section of Pittsburgh. They have been asked to speak as though they were addressing the President of the United States, privately if they were given a short interview with him in his office. They will identify themselves. 

Mrs. William Houghton: I am Mrs. William Houghton of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A mother of two small children and a housewife. My dear Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity of pledging my wholehearted support in any small way that I can help in these troubled times, and also to thank you for many past benefits, because in the past the government has been such a good friend of ours. For six years, my husband held a position in the liquor stores, which he would never had had but for the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment.  

In the past year and a half we have lived in the government housing projects and so have lived under much better conditions than we could have privately. And my husband has just finished a government sponsored defense course which has enabled him to procure a better position. So I feel that any small thing we have had to do up to now is insignificant and any greater demands that are made on us later will be small repayment to a good and great friend of ours, the United States of America. 

Clark W. Kelley: This is Clark W. Kelley of Pittsburgh representing western Pennsylvania newspapers. Dear Mr. President, it is a pleasure for me to tell you as director of the central office of our newspaper organization, that there is complete unity among these publications in the support of every phase of our war effort. Everyday, there come to my desk many newspapers large and small. Some are the last word in typographic display, others are printed in less-modern style. Together they represent every type of community life, a real cross-section of America. They are rightly called papers of the people because they truly reflect public sentiment on all vital questions. The greater Pittsburgh territory covered by these newspapers is known as the workshop of the world from which much comes much of the war munitions for our cause.  

Whatever the differences of opinion were that existed among these newspapers and their readers before December 7th, they have now all disappeared. Since then, like the men in the armed forces, the newspapers like the workers in the workshop of the world, are enlisted as soldiers under you, their Commander in Chief.  

Gladys Crawley: I am Gladys Crawley, a Negro girl employed by the city of Pittsburgh as a clerk in the city deeds registry. I feel, Mr. President, that it is largely due to the position you have taken in seeing that the Negro citizens and other members of minority groups are accorded equal opportunities, that the members of my race are more hopeful than ever before. I know I speak for them when I pledge my deepest loyalty to you and all your efforts. 

We do feel that Negroes have not been given equal opportunities for service in the camps and defense industries. But our faith in you is such that we know that you will do everything that can be done to remedy this condition and at the earliest possible time. 

I know you will be glad to know that all the groups of which I am a member are doing their full share as American citizens in Red Cross work, purchase of defense stamps, and all other activities which will help speed us to victory. 

Paul L. Houston: This is Paul L. Houston, president of the Yellow Cab Company of Pittsburgh. More and more each day, I am impressed with the tremendous importance of having Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House during these uncertain and trying days when our world is being made over before our eyes.  

Men today, as always, want, need, and must have a flesh and blood leader in whom they trust and in whom they have implicit faith, and this requirement, I feel, is met to its highest degree in our president. Everyone I talk to seems to feel that the old world we lived in before December 7, 1941 has passed out of existence. And we are in a whole new universe which each of us in our own way, day-by-day, are fashioning into a better place in which to live. I never felt so confident or so hopeful in my life. Heavy burdens, such as we all must bear, and trying days such as we must experience seem to bring out the best in us. We seem to appreciate the real things in life such as our homes and our families and they seem more precious to us as we feel that we are fighting to protect them. With President Roosevelt to chart the course, we all feel the ship is headed for a very, very safe port.  

John Forelli: Mr. President, I am John Forelli an ordinary coal miner, Library, Pennsylvania. I work for the Pittsburgh Coal Company, one of the world's largest producers of coal. We miners all know that our country's at war. And the war will only end when the enemies of democracy are destroyed. Our part is to produce coal in a larger scale and we're the guys who can do it. We also know that while we're producing coal everybody else must be doing his bit for coal alone won't win this war. 

The miners are behind you, Mr. President, always as in the past. And we'll endeavor to perform any task our government may ask of us. We all have friends in this battle as we have had before. And no miner is going to be a slacker by letting our government down. 

George J. Shale: Mr. President, my name is George J. Shale, superintendent of public safety equipment and maintenance for the city of Pittsburgh. I wish to report that our police and fire equipment has been prepared to take its part in the civilian defense effort for a final victory. We have added cruising patrol ambulances equipped with two-way radio communication, warning devices, first-aid kits, stretchers, and machine guns. Fifty other cars with similar equipment patrol the city continuously. The past month a twenty-five percent reduction in mileage to save tires was accomplished.  

Our ninety pieces of fire apparatus are in a high state of efficiency and sixteen current deliveries will bring our firefighting power to the recommended point of preparedness. The restrictions placed on tires, parts, and cars has not been felt very seriously to date. We hope that the vital public safety services can be maintained efficiently. But we are prepared if any act of war visits Pittsburgh.  

Reading 2: Heritage City Designation

Excerpt from: “House Report 115-998, “To Direct the Secretary of the Interior to Annually Designate at Least One City in The United States as An ‘American World War II Heritage City,’ and for other purposes” (October 30, 2018) 

“. . .PURPOSE OF THE BILL 

The purpose of H.R. 6118 is to direct the Secretary of the Interior to annually designate at least one city in the United States as an ``American World War II Heritage City''. 

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION 

    On December 7, 1941, military forces of the Empire of Japan attacked the U.S. Naval Fleet and ground bases at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On December 8, 1941, one day after what President Roosevelt referred to as, ``a date which will live in infamy,'' the United States declared war against the Empire of Japan. Three days later, on December 11, 1941, Japan's ally, Germany, declared war on the United States. Sixteen million Americans, mostly young working-age men, served in the military during World War II, out of an overall United States population of 113 million. 

While an unprecedented number of Americans served in World War II, the country drastically increased its war production on the home front, serving not only the needs of the armed forces of the United States but her allies as well--in what President Franklin Roosevelt called ``The Arsenal of Democracy.'' The combination of millions serving in the military, during a period of necessary and drastic increases in production, led to significant social changes on the American home front. 

The World War II period resulted in the largest number of people migrating within the United States in the history of the country. Individuals and families relocated to industrial centers for good paying jobs out of a sense of patriotic duty. Many industrial centers became ``boomtowns,'' growing at phenomenal rates. One example, the City of Richmond, California, grew from a population of under 24,000 to over 100,000 during the war. . . .” 

“A poster comes to life. The middle man in the poster looks at his image mounted on a wall at Allegheny-Ludlum Steel Corporation, wonders what the other two fellows are like, and where they are these days." George Woolslayer, thirty-two-year-old welder, was the model for the poster from the OWI.

Alfred Palmer; Library of Congress

Student Activities:

Questions for Reading 1, Photos

1. What do the photos depict? How do they connect to your understanding of Pittsburgh as a city at the time?

2. In the reading, what do the speakers have in common?

3. Explain how the speakers' personal experiences and identities shape their views on the war.

4. How do the speakers' perspectives develop our understanding of the experience on the home front in Pittsburgh in World War II?

5. What does this text reveal about the public mood in Pittsburgh during World War II?

Extension

Argue for or against the following statement: The speakers in this text represent a cross-section of American society during World War II.

Questions for Reading 2, Photos

1. What was the purpose of the bill (H.R. 6118) according to the report?

2. Why do you think Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was designated as a World War II Heritage City? Use details from the bill and from the lesson(s) information.

3. Are there other cities you think of when considering home front contributions during wartime? Which, and why?

Optional Activity: Documentary 

The documentary “America’s Arsenal: How Pittsburgh Powered World War II” (27:33) can be used as a wrap up of learning, and add to understandings, as it shares images and facts that were not fully covered in the other lessons.  

Documentary description: “WQED reports on Western Pennsylvania's contributions to World War II, including the Bantam Jeep designed in Butler, LST production on Neville Island, steel production in Homestead and the Westinghouse artist who created the Rosie the Riveter image.” 

Single-Point Rubric (Standards; Blank) [Teacher selects priority standards for assessment.]

Courtesy of Sarah Nestor Lane

Culminating Activity/Mastery Product

To demonstrate student understanding, support students in creating a final product that meets the following objectives:

1. Identify important World War II home front locations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and describe their historical significance

2. Summarize the contributions of diverse Pittsburgh civilians and service members to home front wartime efforts

3. Evaluate the short- and long-term changes experienced in Pittsburgh, such as economic, social, geographical, and environmental changes

4. Optional: Describe similarities and differences of Pittsburgh, PA and other Heritage city(s) / World War II home front(s).

Mastery products should be:

. . . student-led; Students work as individuals or in collaborative groups.

. . . student-directed: Students are offered a variety of choices for product type.

. . . student-organized; Teacher facilitates by providing students with the comparison matrices and/or resource links from throughout the series of lessons.

. . . student-assessed; Teacher supports student self-assessment and reflection by providing students single-point rubrics to assess for meeting standards and/or lesson objectives.

Note: Depending on time and scope, the comparison of Pittsburgh to another WWII Heritage city(s) within the mastery product (objectives) may be omitted. However, comparing cities is recommended, as it connects students to a deeper understanding of the WWII home front.

Examples of mastery product choices include, but are not limited to:

• Written: Letter (opinion or informative), essay, poem, narratives, biography, articles, class book or children’s book, speech or debate (then presented orally), blog / website, plaque or historical displays, pamphlets or rack cards

• Graphic Organizers: timeline, flowcharts, mind or concept content maps, Venn diagrams, comparison matrices, posters

• Artistic Expression: song, dance, theater (ex. skits), 3-D models, dioramas, photo journal, stamp and coin designs, visual art, architecture/building or monument, museum design

Media design and creation: podcast, historical markers, social media content, interactive virtual maps or tours, infographics, video, comic strips or graphics, game design, slideshows, digital scrapbook

Please view Teaching with Historic Places' World War II Lessons for information and resources on other cities.

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This lesson was written by Sarah Nestor Lane, an educator and consultant with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, funded by the National Council on Public History's cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.