Patriotic piety : the ideals and experiences of conservative Protestant women on the American home front during World War II.

Rosie the Riveter remains the most iconic image of the United States home front during World War II. However, not every American woman subscribed to the ideals set forth by the mainstream media, patriotic femininity. Instead, conservative Protestant women embraced the ideal of "patriotic piety." This paper argues that patriotic piety was different from patriotic femininity as it sought to combine conservative morality and spirituality with democratic values. Conservative Protestant women embodied the ideal of patriotic piety as they entered the public sphere (including the work force and the military). Still, in the midst of all of these changes, patriotic piety maintained its emphasis on domesticity and the home despite the larger cultural shift represented by Rosie the Riveter.