WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Rationing involved setting limits on purchasing certain high-demand items. The government issued a number of “points” to each person, even babies, which had to be turned in along with money to purchase goods made with restricted items.

Detailed explanation-2: -Rationing of a variety of essential items from leather to gasoline to ketchup and coffee was instituted by the federal government to keep inflation down, preserve necessary goods for the war effort and to fairly distribute items in short supply.

Detailed explanation-3: -Even though thousands of items became scarce during the war, only those most critical to the war effort were rationed. Key goods such as sugar, tires, gasoline, meat, coffee, butter, canned goods and shoes came under rationing regulations. Some important items escaped rationing, including fresh fruit and vegetables.

Detailed explanation-4: -In support of the war effort, Americans now had limited access or none at all to items such as rubber, silk & nylon, gasoline, metal, milk, meats, canned vegetables, and processed foods. Families were issued ration books with a certain number of points to be used at a time based on the number of people in a family.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Office of Price Administration (OPA) warned Americans of potential gasoline, steel, aluminum, and electricity shortages. It believed that with factories converting to military production and consuming many critical supplies, rationing would become necessary if the country entered the war.