"As America approaches the seventy-fifth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, author William M. Christie provides a detailed history of the United States on the eve of World War II. 1941: The America That Went to War presents not only the military events of 1941 and specific areas of interest like sports, home life, and transportation, but also an overall portrait of the country. The America of 1941 was very different from the country we know today. Most people were just getting back on their feet after the struggles of the Depression, their interests personal and inward. Access to the political process was uneven, yet there was no general assumption that all citizens should have an equal voice in government. Magazines and radio provided all the cultural experiences people expected to be able to enjoy. Ethnic stereotypes were widely accepted, and concerns with social justice were only beginning to expand. After the Depression, most workers found jobs related to the growth of the American defense industry, but the nation was fearful of the foreign wars that made increased armaments necessary. Yet everything was about to change with the forced entry onto the world stage. Christie describes all this and more, demonstrating that one cannot understand the United States during and after World War II without understanding the country that entered the war. Organized in a series of vignettes representing focal events of each month, 1941 brings readers into the mind-set of 1941 America. These stories show both what Americans were doing and how they saw themselves and the world in that last year of peace."--Provided by publisher.