"Mightier than Missiles": The Rhetoric of Civil Defense for Rural American Families, 1950-1970

During the Cold War, physical and cultural distance from major metropolitan areas did not preclude farm and rural families from taking part in civil defense preparations. In the early 1950s the evacuation of civilian populations from urban areas and military targets served as the basis for federal and state civil defense programs. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, however, as the dangers of fallout shaped the public discourse, rural areas were no longer considered safe from an attack. Throughout this period, the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA), in conjunction with the USDA and State Cooperative Extension Services, launched campaigns to educate farmers on their roles as providers of food and as budding atomic scientists. The rhetoric of these programs reinforced the notion that rural Americans contributed not only food and raw materials to the American economy, but also served as the moral backbone of a democratic nation. Such language placed farmers and rural residents on the front lines of the Cold War.