What was rationing?
ra·tion
/ˈraSH(ə)n,ˈrāSH(ə)n/
verb
gerund or present participle: rationing
1. allow each person to have only a fixed amount of (a particular commodity).
/ˈraSH(ə)n,ˈrāSH(ə)n/
verb
gerund or present participle: rationing
1. allow each person to have only a fixed amount of (a particular commodity).
- Rationing forced U.S. citizens to conserve resources, such as food, that were needed to support the war effort.
Why was rationing important?
World War II caused shortages of an array of things, including, but not limited to:
Because of these shortages, the United States government's Office of Price Administrati0n instituted a program of rationing in order to more fairly distribute foods that were in short supply.
- rubber
- metal
- clothing
- food
Because of these shortages, the United States government's Office of Price Administrati0n instituted a program of rationing in order to more fairly distribute foods that were in short supply.
How did rationing work?
Each American citizen was issued a series of ration books during the war. These books contained removable stamps that could be used for certain rationed items, such as sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. A person could not buy a rationed item without presenting the correct ration stamp to the grocer. Once a person’s ration stamps were used up for the month, he or she couldn’t purchase any more of that type of food. This meant Americans had to plan meals carefully, be creative with menus, and not waste food. More than 8,000 ration boards across the United States administered the program.
The instructions page out of a ration book
Paul M. O'Leary of the Office of Price Administration carries on a "conversation" with a housewife and grocer in a 1942 radio broadcast.