On the morning of Thanksgiving, November 27th, 1947 40% of the US was still rural. For the country’s farmers who often lived miles from the nearest city, radio’s morning reports were an important piece of information. With inflation soaring, farmers needed to eke out every cent of profit they could.

Americans were organizing. In the year after VJ Day, more than five million struck for better wages and benefits. This debilitated key sectors of the economy and stifled production. Consumer goods in high-demand were slow to appear on shelves and in showrooms, frustrating Americans who desperately wanted to purchase items they had forsaken during the war.

It caused the largest inflation rise in the country’s modern history, and the Taft-Hartley Act, limiting the power of Labor Unions.

President Truman was seemingly at odds with Congress over every domestic policy and his approval rating sank to 32%.

The U.S. War Debt had topped $240 Billion. Because the nation emerged as one of the world’s leaders, America was expected to have the largest hand in rebuilding Europe.

On the eve of Thanksgiving, news outlets reported that, in order to stabilize Europe, Americans should to be ready to resume sacrifices they made during the war. The fear was that by not agreeing to do so, Americans would help create a situation where political enemies would take over Europe and Asia.