The Mississippi home front during World War II: Tradition and change

During the years 1940-1945, thousands of people in Mississippi, whether native or transient, experienced the Second World War in a variety of ways. Numerous young men and women received their military training in the state. Mississippi also maintained several German prisoner of war camps. Other people moved from the rural areas to urban areas for employment in the defense industries. As a result of such an influx and migration of people, the Mississippi home front was one of persistent conflict between traditional lifestyles and demands for modernization.;This study of the reactions and activities of Mississippians during World War II demonstrates that the war years enhanced the state's industries and agriculture and speeded social change. Although several historians have conducted studies regarding the American home front, few have examined the actual events that brought change to an individual state and its people. Therefore, this study of the Mississippi home front is an attempt to fill a void in the history of the state and the South. This study deals with the conflict between tradition and change. In its culture, economics, and agriculture, Mississippi experienced a true challenge to its traditional way of life.;An underlying question which this study attempts to answer is whether change within the state was revolutionary or evolutionary. As often happens with the tension between tradition and change, Mississippians hesitated and eventually proceeded only out of necessity rather than a clear desire for change. These progressive moves were minor steps toward modernization that occurred over a long period of time. Therefore, with few exceptions, the changes in Mississippi during the Second World War were evolutionary, not revolutionary.;The Mississippi home front experienced economic growth, progress in racial relations, changes regarding the role of women within society, the introduction to farm mechanization, and the transition from a rural to a more urban society. These positive steps for Mississippi and its citizens prepared the state for additional progress in the postwar period.