America's involvement in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II left a population of widows and orphans in its wake. Faced with rebuilding their lives alone, many wives and mothers confronted great emotional and financial hardship. War orphans found their situation equally difficult as they faced growing up without their fathers. There were ways, however, in which these victims of war coped with their unique situation through self-determination, aid from family, and government assistance.

Emotional Toll

Widows blunted the emotional hardship in a variety of ways. Many sought comfort by moving in with family members. Others remarried soon after their husbands' deaths in order to bring some sense of normalcy to their lives. Those with children found that remarriage also eased the financial and emotional strains associated with single parenthood. In extreme cases, widows overwhelmed with grief succumbed to alcoholism, suffered...