C H A P T E R 1 6 S E C T I O N 2

WAR ON THE HOMEFRONT

CONGRESS AND THE WAR

• Congress created new agencies to coordinate mobilization and ensure efficient use of national resources.

• Theses agencies emphasized cooperation between big business and government. There were no direct governmental controls.

WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD

• Established in 1917 to coordinate the production of war materials.

• Bernard Baruch , a wall street stockbroker would run the WIB

BERNARD BARUCH

• Baruch and the WIB told manufacturers:• A) What they could

produce.• B) Allocated raw

materials.• C) Ordered the

construction of new factories.• D)Set some prices

THE FOOD ADMINISTRATION

• The Food Administration would be run by Herbert Hoover.

• The agency was responsible for increasing food production while reducing civilian consumption.

“FOOD WILL WIN THE WAR-DON’T WASTE IT !”

• The Food Administration encouraged families to conserve food and grow their own vegetables in “victory gardens”.

MORE FOOD ADMINISTRATION ADS

IN ORDER TO LEAVE MORE FOOD FOR THE TROOPS:

• The Food Administration encouraged:

• Wheatless Mondays• Meatless Tuesdays• Porkless Thursdays

THE FUEL ADMINISTRATION

• The Fuel Administration would be run by Harry Garfield.• He tried to manage the nations use of coal and oil to

conserve energy.• Garfield introduced:• A) Daylight Savings Time• B) Shortened work weeks for factories that did not

make war materials• C) Encouraged Americans to observe “Heatless

Mondays”.

PAYING FOR THE WAR

• The war cost $ 32 billion dollars.• Congress raised income tax rates.• New taxes on corporate profits.• Imposed extra taxes on the profits of arms

factories.• Borrowed over $ 20 billion through the sale of

Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds.• Americans who bought bonds were lending

money to the government that would be repaid with interest in a specified number of years

LIBERTY & VICTORY BOND ADS

WOMEN SUPPORT INDUSTRY

• When the men went off to war, employers hired women to work in traditionally male jobs• 1 million joined the

workforce for the first time.• 8 million switched to

higher paying jobs.

• Women worked in factories, shipyards, railroad yards, police force, mail carriers, & train engineers.• These changes would

be temporary, women would go back home after the men returned, but showed the world that they could hold down male jobs

WOMEN SUPPORT INDUSTRY PICTURES

“THE GREAT MIGRATION”

• Henry Ford sent company agents south to recruit African Americans. Other companies would soon follow Ford’s example.• The companies promised: a) higher wages, b)

plenty of work.• 300,000 to 500,000 African Americans would

leave the south to go north.• It altered the racial makeup of cities like Chicago,

New York, Cleveland, & Detroit.

“THE GREAT MIGRATION” PICTURES

“THE GREAT MIGRATION”

MEXICAN AMERICANS HEAD NORTH

• Because of the turmoil in Mexico and the labor shortages in the U.S., Mexicans headed north• Between 1917-1920,

over 100,000 Mexicans migrated to the Southwest, providing labor for farmers and ranchers,

• Mexicans found new opportunities in factory jobs in Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha, and other cities.• Many of them faced

discrimination, so they settled in separate neighborhoods called barrios

MEXICAN MIGRATION

SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION“SELLING THE WAR”

• Eleven days after declaring war, President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information.

• The CPI- was established to “sell” the war to the American people.

• The CPI was headed by George Creel, a journalist.• It recruited advertising

executives, artists, song writers, entertainers, public speakers and motion picture companies, to help sway public opinion in favor of the war.

THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION

• The CPI distributed pamphlets and conducted short patriotic talks.

• The public could support the war by: a) buying war bonds, b) reporting draft dodgers.

THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION

PREVENTING SPYING

• Government passed legislation to limit opposition to the war and fight espionage or spying to acquire government information.

• The Espionage Act of 1917- made it illegal to aid the enemy, give false reports, or interfere with the war effort.

• The Sedition Act of 1918 – made it illegal to speak against the war.

PREVENTING SPYING

• Ads urged Americans to monitor their fellow citizens.

• Americans even formed private groups such as, a) the American Protective League, b) Boy Spies of America to spy on neighbors and co-workers.

• Although some felt that these laws were unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled that the governement could restrict speech when the words constitute a “ clear and present danger”.

SPYING

BUILDING THE MILITARY

• Volunteers and Conscripts• In 1917when the U.S. entered the war, the army and

national guard had slightly more than 300,000 troops. Many more troops were needed for the war.

Selective Service• President Wilson created a new conscription system

called the Selective Service.• The Selective Service Act of 1917-required all men 21

to 30 years of age to register for the draft.• A lottery randomly determined the order in which they

were called before a local draft board in charge of selecting or exempting people from military service.

• 2.8 million Americans were drafted.

VOLUNTEERS FOR THE WAR

• Approxiamatly, 2 million men volunteered.• The men saw World

War I as a great adventure and wanted to serve fight for their country.

• More than 50,000 Americans died in combat.• 200,000 were

wounded.• 60,000 died from

disease ( the influenza epidemic of 1918 & 1919).

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE WAR

• 400,000 African Americans were drafted.• 42,000 Africans served overseas as combat

troops. African American soldiers encountered:• a) discrimination• b) prejudice• c) were racially segregated under the supervision

of white officers.

Many African Americans fought with distinction. They received praise from French Commander, Marshal Petain and the U.S. Commander, General John Pershing.

WOMEN JOIN THE ARMY

• World War I was the first war where women officially served in the armed forces in a non combat role.

• In earl 1917- the navy authorized the enlistment of women to meet the navy’s clerical needs.

• Women wore standard navy uniform and were assigned the rank of yeoman.

• Most performed clerical duties, but some served as radio operators, pharmacists, chemists, and photographers.

• The army refused to enlist women, but women acted in the role of nurse. More than 20,000 nurses served in the Army Nursing Corps during the war, including 10,000 overseas.