Word meanings: history 8

Gardens for Victory

1. Imagine that you and your teammates are losing a football match. What do you do? Rally together and do whatever it takes to win, of course! Americans did the same thing during the first and second world wars, but instead of uniting together to triumph during a football game, Americans rallied together to plant victory gardens. That’s right, gardens.
2. During both world wars, canned foods as well as sugar, milk products, coffee, fruit, and eggs were rationed. Each person was allotted a certain quantity of each of these products. Why? The answer is twofold. Some of these foodstuffs were needed to feed soldiers—the food was distributed to troops overseas. Another reason food was rationed was because there was a shortage of worker bees—there weren’t enough people to harvest and transport food to the marketplace.
3. One method to help Americans eliminate food deficiencies during these challenging times was to plant victory gardens. Citizens around the country believed that it was their patriotic duty to chip in and help with the war effort. They mobilized to help by planting gardens in their yards and nearby uninhabited lots. Cities also helped with the victory garden movement. They agreed to use city-maintained land and parks for gardens. The function of these lands changed from decorative to practical. Any empty land was eligible to be transformed into a garden. In San Francisco, people planted gardens in front of city hall and in Golden Gate Bridge Park.
4. Currently, there’s a revitalization effort afoot to reinstate victory gardens. However, instead of working for triumph in a war effort, modern-day victory gardens are considered victorious if they provide fruits and vegetables to underserved communities, bring community members together, and propel families outdoors.