Chapter 14 Summary

President Roosevelt asked his wife to accompany him on a two-week tour of factories and army camps in September 1942. Both of them had been lonelier than usual because of the losses in their lives. Franklin missed the companionship of his mother, Harry Hopkins, and Missy Le Hand. Eleanor no longer had Hickok and Joseph Lash. They journeyed with his two female cousins to plants in Detroit, Minnesota, and the West Coast.

The number of women employed in defense plants was noteworthy. Many people believed a factory was no place for a woman and that working women were neglecting their children and homes. Nevertheless, female labor was vital to the war effort with over five million men overseas. Eleanor said publicly, that she thought the experience was an excellent one; especially, for a young person, as a way to "expand their horizons and contribute...