Family Scenarios for each character
The Jackson Family of Five - Tuskeegee, Alabama
The Jackson family originally had two parents, two older sons, and a set
younger twins. The second son, William, joined the US Navy in 1939 and
was stationed at Pearl Harbor, USA. He is now dead, which gives the other
brother a reason to hate the Japanese. Robert, the elder brother, then joined
the US Air Force to take revenge for his brother.
The Perez Family of Eight, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Perez family emigrated from Mexico in 1924, during the "Roaring
Twenties" to better themselves financially. During this time they did well,
but they were poverty stricken during the Great Depression. Now, the men
in the family have jobs in munitions factories and family life is once again
good. The family includes the parents of the mother (Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez),
parents, and four children.
The Swanson Family of Four, Galesburg, Illinois
The Swanson family is a well-off family, which owns the CBS radio affiliate in
Galesburg, Illinois. However, they are pacifists and are against the war. Mr.
Swanson had been a great admirer Charles Lindbergh. This puts them at
odds with their son, who is in the US Air Force, and many other Americans,
who believe that people who are against the war are against freedom, the
American way of life, etc. Their daughter, Emily, is a reporter in Chicago for
the Chicago Tribune and covers many aspects of the war.
The Ogawa Family of Five, Manzanar, California
The Ogawa family, consisting of three generations (grandparent, parents,
children), emigrated to the United States in 1929. They began a grocery
store in downtown San Francisco, California and were prospering until Dec.
6, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and forced the US. into war with
that nation. Due to the extreme prejudice of white Americans, this
naturalized American family, along with others like them, was forced from
their home and store to a compound called a relocation camp for Japanese
Americans during the war.
The Blech Family of Five, New York, New York
The Blech family emigrated from Germany as Hitler began to discriminate
against Jews. It consists of two parents and a child and the brother-in-law
and sister of the father (the Cohens), who came to USA in 1930, before
Hitler and the Nazis. The brothers-in-law started a business which aids other
German citizens in escaping the Nazis.
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The Hall Family of Three, Washington, DC
The Hall family lives in Washington, DC. It originally consisted of a father,
mother, brother and sister. Mr. Hall died suddenly leaving Mrs. Hall a widow.
Due to the loss of Mr. Hall’s income, the family has met with hard times and
all began working in hotels as domestic workers. Mrs. Hall works in a
laundry, William enlists to become an airman and is sent to be trained at
Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee, Alabama. Lucille, a former
domestic worker, learns to operate a lathe at the War Production and
Training Center in Washington, D.C.
The Barfoot Family of Ten, New Mexico
The Barfoot family consists of three generations (grandparent, parents,
children), The attack on Pearl Harbor wakens the ancestral warrior spirit in
many Native Americans on the Barfoot’s reservation. One son enlists and the
other goes to work at a munitions plant. Mr. Barfoot works on a cattle ranch
and Mrs. Barfoot cares for the smaller children and older relatives within
their family. The older sons find new work during wartime.