The North Carolina Home Front, 1940-1945
February 14, 2015
World War II was an international war, transforming regions around the world. North Carolina was no exception. Between 1940 and 1945 millions of service members moved through the fifty-one military facilities in the state. The state’s industrial and agricultural production increased dramatically, transforming this mostly rural state into a mostly urban one. Despite North Carolina’s important contributions to the war effort, the war also exposed hard facts about their state’s demographic makeup. More North Carolinians were rejected for military service for intellectual and health disabilities than recruits from any other state, and the state’s African-American citizens were forced to fight two wars: one against the enemy, and the other against endemic racism. This seminar will provide a broad overview of the state during the war, while focusing on unique people and moments in North Carolina history including the integrated B1 Naval Band, the African-American Montford Marines, and the brutal submarine warfare off the Carolina Coast. The seminar will end with interviews of home front “veterans” and Carolina graduates from the war years.
Topics & Speakers
The Impact of War on North Carolina
Julian Pleasants, Professor of History Emeritus, University of Florida
Carolina and the Integration of the Modern Navy
Alex Albright, Associate Professor of English, East Carolina University
Claiming the Promise of Equality—The Montford Point Marines
Melton McLaurin, Professor Emeritus of History, UNC Wilmington
War Zone: World War II off the North Carolina Coast
Kevin P. Duffus, Independent Scholar, Raleigh, NC
The Carolina Home Front—An Oral History Panel Discussion
Moderator, Max Owre, Executive Director, Program in the Humanities
Time & Cost
9:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, February 14, 2015. The tuition is $125 ($110 by January 22). Tuition for teachers is $62.50 ($55 by January 22). Teachers can also receive a $75 stipend after attending (click here for more information) and 10 contact hours for 1 unit of renewal credit. The optional lunch is $15.00.
For information about lodging click here.
Co-Sponsored by the General Alumni Association.
For information about GAA discounts and other scholarships available to Humanities Program participants, click here.