The Women Behind Rosie the Riveter: Working for the U.S. War Effort

By Pamela Dell

Waging war involves more than just the soldiers on the front line, it take an entire nation. Many women in the U.S. played a pivotal role in the war effort and entered the work force to fill the spots left vacant by the men at war. Rosie the Riveter became a rallying cry for women starting in World War II and continues on to this day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: May 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781496665744

Book preview

Women and War: The Women Behind Rosie the Riveter by Pamela Dell

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Chapter 1: Rosie the Riveter

Chapter 2: Prepare for War

Chapter 3: We Can Do It!

Chapter 4: Change in the Air

Chapter 5: Rosie Revived

Chapter 6: Rosie’s Legacy

Timeline

Glossary

Read More

Critical Thinking Questions

Index

Copyright

Back Cover

Chapter 1

Rosie the Riveter

So you think you can do a man’s job, huh? A little one like you? The factory boss looked Evie up and down, barely hiding his smirk. He puffed on his smelly cigar.

But Evie was not backing down That’s right sir

She crossed her arms and gave the boss her steadiest stare. It was 1943, and the boy she loved and hoped to marry was off fighting World War II (1939–1945). As soon as she’d heard about war industry jobs opening up for women, she’d bought a train ticket. She’d traveled all the way from rural Virginia to look for work in Baltimore, Maryland, ready to do her part. All she wanted was to help build fighter planes so the Allies could win the war.

picture

Riveters working on a fuselage

The rivet guns were noisy and tough to hang on to, and some of us were afraid of them at first. You had to grip your gun very tightly as you worked. If the gun got away from you, it would fly all over the place, making everyone jump for cover until someone shut it down.

— Helen Kosierowski, a riveter who helped build B-29 bombers in the 1940s

How old are you, Evelyn?