ABSTRACT
Wars always exact a terrible price. The most dreadful costs are in the form of lives and flesh and bone, but there are subtler costs as well. There are the financial costs of war, and nothing that human beings do costs as much as a war. Many citizens paid taxes for the first time during World War II, but taxes were not enough, and the government also turned to bond sales to finance the war. Bond drive promotions were ubiquitous during the war, bombarding citizens with appeals to their patriotism, appeals to their financial future and, if all else failed, appeals to their sense of shame. Citizens also paid a price for the war in the form of rationing. Virtually every commodity of any value was rationed, and supposedly the only way Americans could purchase these items was with ration cards. But when rationing began to pinch, a vigorous black market developed to fulfill the needs of the many who were not willing to play by the rules. Finally, there was a cost to be paid by the American family. The excitement of war drew men and women together, but it also tore them apart. The marriage rate was up, but so was the divorce rate. There was a boom in the birth rate, but there was also an epidemic in child neglect. Older children also fell victim to the war, and they (and society) paid the price in the form of greatly increased juvenile delinquency.
