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Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Nicole Schultz
HIWD:555 World War II (D02)
November 16, 2025
Bibliography
Primary
Frieda S Miller, Director, Women's Bureau, United States Department of Labor. "What's Become
of Rosie the Riveter? Her Numbers Reduced by Millions since July, She is Involved in a
Tremendous Reshuffling. Where's Rosie the Riveter? Where's Rosie the Riveter?" New
York Times (1923-), May 05, 1946. 3, https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/whats-
become-rosie-riveter/docview/107644183/s e-2.
This primary source was written right after the war, which connects to my research
because it explains the postwar return to domesticity. Additionally, it explains that
many of the jobs women held during the war were only temporary. Furthermore,
the article discusses whether women still wanted to work after the war, thereby
demonstrating that some did try to remain in the workforce. This source is
important because it allows me to analyze what happened to “Rosies” after the
war. However, one weakness is that it focuses more on policies and statistics than
personal stories.
National Archives at Boston. “Appeal Hearing Mrs. Dorothy L. Dugan, Central Park Dover”
Case 728 (Publication 4.13). Record Group 156, Public Information Office, Watertown
Arsenal; National Archives and Records Administration, Northeastern Region, Boston.
https://www.archives.gov/files/boston/exhibits/homefront/4.13-case-728.pdf
This primary source is from the National Archives at Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts)
online. This source will be valuable because it presents an appeal case hearing for a
woman who worked in a shoe factory and sought to transfer to a shipyard to earn more
money; moreover, it provides valuable information on wages and on how shoe-making is
just as crucial as ship work for the war effort. One limitation of this source is that it does
not give information on the subject’s domestic responsibilities or daily life before the war.
National Archives at Boston. Scrapbook 4.01-10 (1942-43). Record Group 156, Public
Information Office, Watertown Arsenal; Northeastern Region, National Archives and
Records Administration.
https://www.archives.gov/files/boston/exhibits/homefront/4.01-10-scrapbook.pdf
This primary source is from the National Archives at Boston (Waltham, Massachusetts)
online. This source consists of a variety of newspaper clippings from scrapbooks from the
years 1942-1943. This is a strong source because it provides firsthand accounts from
women who worked in arsenals during the war. The source gives a lot of detail about the
woman and what they left behind to help during the war. Its one weakness is its sole
focus on a single group of workers: the Waterton Arsenal factory workers in Watertown,
Massachusetts.
"Rosie the Riveter," News Features & Internal Communications Image Collection (Primary
Source Media, 1940), Associated Press Collections Online.
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/HWJKTS747321702/GDCS?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmar
k-GDCS&xid=a50dfd47.
One primary source I will use is the Rosie the Riveter poster. This image is essential for
analyzing how wartime propaganda appealed to women and encouraged them to
contribute to the home-front war effort. I will compare the poster with firsthand accounts
from women war workers to identify similarities and differences between the propaganda
image and women’s actual experiences. One weakness is that it was designed as
propaganda, and it leaves out the challenges, discrimination, and limitations women faced
on the home front.
"Rosie the Riveter: The Next Generation." New York Times (1923-), Dec 14, 2008. 1,
https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/rosie-riveter-next-generation/docview/897757281/
se-2.
This source is essential to my research because it explains how Rosie the Riveter is
represented today. It shows how Rosie has become a lasting symbol of strength
and empowerment, especially for younger women entering careers once
dominated by men. Additionally, this article helps me understand how Rosie’s
meaning has changed over time and how she continues to inspire new
generations. One weakness is that it focuses on modern interpretations rather than
what actually happened to women on the World War II home front.
Secondary
Brock, Julia, Jennifer W. Dickey, Richard J. W. Harker, and Catherine M. Lewis, eds. Beyond
Rosie : A Documentary History of Women and World War II. Fayetteville: The University
of Arkansas Press, 2015.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=2007822.
Beyond Rosie: A Documentary History of Women and World War II is helpful
because it includes many primary sources, such as letters, photos, and interviews,
that show what women’s lives were really like during the war. It also brings in
perspectives from women of different backgrounds, which helps give a fuller
picture of the home-front experience. One weakness is that the book provides
little analysis, leaving the reader to make connections between the sources. Also,
the documents included do not represent every woman’s experience, so they
cannot show the whole story on their own.
Diehl, Lorraine B. Over here: New York City during World War II. 1st;1; ed. New York:
HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.
This secondary source is beneficial as it helps me understand that some women did
indeed work before the War. Chapter 10 focuses on “Rosies” in New York City and
provides details about the kinds of jobs women held before WWII and how many of them
wanted to switch to work supporting the war effort. It also discusses labor shortages and
how new jobs were offered not only in factories but also in other areas that suddenly
needed workers due to the War. This helps me connect how women’s roles were already
shifting even before Rosie the Riveter became a significant symbol.
Harris, Mark Jonathan. “Rosie the Riveter Remembers.” American Heritage. 35, no. 2 (1984):
94–103.
This article is helpful to me because it includes interviews with women who
worked during World War II. With this, I can see how the “Rosie” image compares
to their actual experiences. Additionally, it explains, to some extent, how women
were before they joined the workforce. One weakness is that it primarily focuses
on their wartime stories and says little about what happened to them afterward.
Because of that, I will need other sources to understand what happened to these
women after the war and how their roles changed once the conflict ended.
Library Of Congress. Rosie the Riveter: Real Women Workers in World War II. Washington,
D.C.: Library of Congress, -05-14, 2003. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021687597/.
This video provides a good amount of information about how women viewed themselves
and how propaganda shaped their sense of purpose. Furthermore, it speaks of "Rosie the
Riveter" and how her image helped to shape the identity of these women. Additionally, I
like how it explains how women discussed not being able to return to domestic duties
after being in the workforce, as this will strengthen my research argument. However, the
weakness is that it fails to mention the workplace challenges and opportunities.
Peterson, C. D. The American Homefront during WWII: Blackouts, Ration Books and Rosie the
Riveter. 1st ed. Philadelphia; Yorkshire: Pen & Sword History, 2024.
This book is helpful because it provides an overview of everyday life on the home
front, including rationing, factory work, and the impact of Rosie the Riveter. It
explains the social and cultural changes at the time, which connect to how women’s
roles were shifting during the war. One weakness is that it covers too many topics.
Because of that, I will need other sources that focus more directly on women workers
to get more detailed information.
Wolverton, Mark. “Top Secret Rosies.” American Heritage 61, no. 2 (2011): 50–57.
EBSCOhost.
This article is helpful to me because it explains the work of the “Top Secret
Rosies,” a group of young, newly graduated women who did advanced math for
the military during World War II. It explains how their jobs were economically
important and how the government encouraged women to fill these positions to
support the war effort. I like this source because it offers a perspective on young
women taking on challenging roles that most people did not expect women to
handle at the time. One weakness is that it focuses mainly on these highly trained
women, so it does not really represent the everyday experiences of the average
woman on the home front.
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