i do enjoy the fabric of our country, and how things work and are made. artifacts is a fantastic show. >> i had no idea. it is something i enjoy. and american history tv, you that perspective. >> during world war ii, millions of american women contributed to the effort by working manufacturing jobs on the home front. american history tv's railamerica, from 1944, the hidden army. documenting the vital role of women in the workforce, encouraging more to contribute to the effort. ♪

>> open up, sergeant. ♪ >> my experts had considered all of the possibilities. over, we over and discussed the flanks of our probable enemies.

confused and helpless in the hands of fascist leaders. weak, frightened, sentiment of appeasement, the united states? no army, navy, or air force. my experts gave me a most satisfactory report. mistake tois a underestimate america. all i know is that the united states is the industrial phenomenon of the world. i will stick to my figures. to win wars you need manpower. >> we know how many they can fit in, the number is limited. necessary af men production of materials necessary to fight, the ratio of soldiers to workers. >> have you ever considered the

possibility of women labor? >> american women? [laughter] on, the most decadent women. let me quote you some statistics about the women of america. 1938, they spent more for cosmetics then the united states navy did for ships. stockings then the u.s. air force spent on airplanes. cocktail drinkers, pleasure lovers, arrays of playgirl's -- playgirl. >> not unlike germany, who are now producing the goods for our own soldiers on the fighting from. and all of this without lipstick.

american women are bad. >> i want to make many mistakes before my downfall, but none was more spectacular and grave then my contempt that day for american women. the moment was right. i invaded poland. my world war had begun. meanwhile, the united states, there was unrest. to operategan factories that appeared overnight. how was it possible for america to attain such productivity, and at the same time build an army? and the amazing reports came in from the u.s. ♪ the answer was that 20% of

american industrial manpower was womanpower. werens of american women stopping my advance across the world. it was the first time i have heard of the hidden army. >> it may have been the first time, herr hitler, but not the firslast time. it will haunt you until your dying day. tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. pearl harbor came and we were in the war 100%. the axis believed it was ready for us. forecasting this army, this air force, this navy. but in the production estimates, the estimate was wrong. admits captivated

the potential strength of the hidden army, the women of american industry. across the atlantic to berlin, across the civic to tokyo, millions of women who would never lifted a finger outside of their own homes now suddenly resolved to set the world's house in order. these their weapons, and these are the results they helped to achieve. and i called for some pretty fancy explaining by the statistical experts. doctor, these women are unemployed. ese new toys,- th it is just a boat. nothing more. it will pass. >> but it did not pass. not yet.

invasion came the north africa, working side-by-side with men, women helped weld the landing craft. they helped rivet the airplanes for the days and nights. women have manufactured the radio tubes that flash the news of the first major life invasion was a conflict rampantly. theyn doing all of this, had earned the respect of the men beside them. there were some jobs that a woman to do even better than a man. jobs for instance that required a delicate touch and sensitive fingers. yes, the american women, to every man's surprise, was in addition to about 100,000 women in the navy, army, and rings. brave women risking their very lives on the battlefront. by the end of 1943, the hidden army had grown to be nearly 30% of war production labor. by that time, all over the

globe, american arms had passed from defense to offense. this meant greatly increased demands for material, and greatly increased demand for men. casualties had to be replaced, invasion forces had to be built. the demand for equipment and supplies and food, materials of all kind, the need for women grew desperate. and the thousands of women answered the call. but then, a strange thing happened. one month, the hidden army which oomed, suddenly stop growing. the papers reported a slight falling off in production.

they were too tired in the morning to face the assembly line or the workbench. workfound that defense interfered with shopping. army members of the hidden had earned enough for the ferc coat they coveted -- fur coat they coveted and returned. the compulsion to work had dissipated when work is around the corner. transportation was a problem. it was distressingly difficult to be both a housekeeper and a riveter. the kids needed looking after, and the house somehow refused to run itself when eight hours a day was spent at the plant. but by far the most common reason was that women were not

accustomed to the long hours of hard work. shortages appeared. american airplanes found themselves lacking assembly. electronicrts where parts were low. and american wounded became american dead. all of a sudden, the war was rising. ♪ the government regrets to inform -- [crying] >> what is the matter? >> for every american cross driven into the foreign earth, a gold star hung in an american home. bitter tears and heartache, that in war, there is no such thing

as a slight falling off in production. because there is no such thing as a slight death. early 1944, the draft soldiers were falling behind. the demand of four men for the new invasion forces were imperative. these young men have become ,argely deferred, the fathers those doing essential industrial work. reclassification was called for. the areaat a time when was written with jungles, the watery graves. women the country over began to recognize war for what it was. a gram, unromantic battle to the death. in which every man, women, and child have a stake. if the american home is to be preserved, if other families and tortured lands are not "get it here, the axis must be brought to its knees.

the hidden army grew fresh recruits. 8e ranks grew to really million. many women came from walks of life not previously considered. the mothers, the young. when they were asked why they had joined the ranks of the hidden army, these women gave a variety of reasons. >> i have a daughter, but i had a son now. that is a good enough reason for anyone. >> i am an old maid. and i did not have anyone until i took this defense job. now, i have a family of men to look after. they help them to get home soon. college, but i ranged my classes so i can help out with the war effort. this way, i will get my diploma and war bonds. heavy, so i joined up.

yesterday was the big day of my life. the farmer told me i was worth my weight in gold. >> my husband is a prisoner of the japs in the philippines. if we had a few more of these shows in japan, maybe he would be fighting. never i get a bit tired and i think of him on that death march. >> the special need of women workers were more recognized in other areas. for mothers, childcare and nurseries. for housekeepers, stores and markets were persuaded to stay open evening. s. sports,sers, movies, more made available at the unaccustomed hours by the hidden army. much of the routine of contemporary living was made easier for the worker than for her stay-at-home sister. because it was concentrated under one roof. it was no longer the necessity to go all over town for dental

appointments, drivers license, or coupons. they were all within a few yards of the is some . more and more, as the needs were yes,zed and met, oh there was another reason for entering more work. >> why did i take a defense job? that is a funny question. i never thought about before. you have to have a reason? we are in a jam, aren''t t we? i'm sorry, i'm too busy to answer questions like that. >> not all answers please us. no loss of a loved one, no temporary economic embarrassment, no mere yearning for excitement or novelty. democracy is in a jam. and there are millions like her.

18 million are not enough. the places must be taken by women. we face casualties at the front, but never again during 1943 can one women quit. for every two that are hired. the concentrating of new replacements, and without the help of additional thousands of women, we cannot build the materials consumed in global invasions. we cannot make good the millions of hours that are lost. camps existhe nazi anywhere in the world, this is a woman's war. no woman will have to put a starved baby to her breast. slave of thel be a fascist state. that is why the women of the americas must flock towards and

stick to the jobs, until that day women and has come to the devastation of the earth. again may safely go down to the sea, that day when peter has come to all lands. and especially to the land where stands the finest warrior, the greatest woman of them all. ♪ announcer: this year, c-span is touring cities across the country, exploring american history. look at our recent visit to montgomery, alabama. you're watching american history tv, all weekend and every weekend, on seas and three. -- on c-span three. dorothy: if you think about the timeline of a modern-day civil rights movement, the beginning

of that movement being 1954, brown versus board of education, and the apex of the movement being the assassination of dr. king in 1968, the freedom ride is right in the middle of that history. it was the halfway point for those events. what happened here on the streets of montgomery really became a turning point for the movement. the freedom ride was a civil rights campaign to challenge the segregated laws in interstate travel across the south. in 1961dom rides began with two groups of integrated people, blacks and whites, leaving on greyhound buses and trailways buses traveling through the deep south to test whether the facilities and the modes of transportation work. complying with the recent supreme court ruling in which the supreme court outlaws segregation in interstate travel.