Even as millions were subjected

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Take the most clear-cut case when the country was dramatically aware of the need to endure hardship for the common good: World War II. With the United States slow to mobilize and the early stage of the war marked with setbacks, President Franklin D. Roosevelt in April of 1942 issued “A Call for Sacrifice.” Detailing a seven-point plan to impose wartime restrictions on wages, prices and profits, FDR said, “The blunt fact is that every single person in the United States is going to be affected by this program.”

“Are you a businessman, or do you own stock in a business corporation? Well, your profits are going to be cut down to a reasonably low level by taxation. Your income will be subject to higher taxes. … Are you a retailer whatsapp number list or a wholesaler or a manufacturer or a farmer or a landlord? Ceilings are being placed on the prices at which you can sell your goods or rent your property. … Do you work for wages? You will have to forgo higher wages for your particular job for the duration of the war.”

By one measure, Americans rallied to the cause of national unity. to the income tax for the first time, some 90 percent believed such economic austerity was “fair,” according to Joseph Thorndike, co-author of the book “War and Taxes.” Our national memory of that time is filled with images of victory gardens, bond drives and citizens willingly accepting the rationing of everything from meat to gasoline. “Don’t you know there’s a war on?” was a widely repeated sentiment.