Transcript File - James W. Gilbreath

American Involvement in WWI
Part 1: The Homefront
Wartime Economics, and Restrictions of Speech
“He Kept Us Out of War”(but not for long)
1916 Pres. Election: Wilson won on a platform of peace.
Wilson’s Wartime America:
• Government Control of the Economy:
>>*gov. increased production of factories & farms*
^(will be on test)
>>1917 Lever Food and Fuel Act (also called the Food and
Fuel Control Act)
-It gave Wilson and Congress near total control of economy.
-Food Administration created
-Railroad Administration created
-War Industries Board created
• Selective Service Act: (created the draft)
• Espionage and Sedition Act:
-censored media & outlawed anti-war practices/speech
Herbert Hoover and Wartime Food Supply
• US Food Administration – established by Wilson in Aug. 1917
• Hoover - Food Administration Director (and future Pres.) (R)
-appointed by Wilson, and given power by the Lever
Food and Fuel Act to regulate the food supply
• propaganda campaign slogan: “Food Will Win the War”
• “Meatless Mondays, and Wheatless Wednesdays”
• Food Administration Grain Corporation:
-primary purpose: to stabilize the
price of wheat in the US market, and
ensure that the Allied militaries had
a steady wheat supply
-promoted cornmeal for use by citizens,
since it was harder to ship overseas
The WIB and The Railroad Administration
• War Industries Board:
-prioritized the delivery of raw materials to war-related
industries first (ex: steel was used to produce guns first,
instead of being used to make inner linings for corsets)
• Railroad Administration:
-during the winter of 1917, harsh blizzard conditions
and poor organization between companies caused the
US railroads to be badly gridlocked
-in response, the Railroad Administration was created
-it gave the gov. control over the railroads, in order to
ensure that war supplies were delivered on time
Selective Service System (Draft)
• Selective Service Act of 1917:
>Created the Selective Service System: By August of
1917, all men ages 18 - 45 had to register for
possible call to military service.
>“conscientious objectors”: religious pacifists who
were exempt from the draft. Examples: Amish,
Quakers, etc.
>Millions of Americans registered
for the draft, & ~two million
American soldiers actually went
to Europe during WWI.
Declaration of War video (Wilson, Pershing, draft):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP_zPq7N4_c
Espionage Act & Sedition Act
• The Espionage Act of 1917 (page 606):
>meant to help find Central Powers spies, and censor war info
>*censored mail and forms of media (this will be on test)*
>made it illegal to encourage mutiny or obstruct recruitment
>discriminated against people of Central Powers heritage
• Sedition Act of 1918:
>*extension of the Espionage Act*
>made it illegal to criticize the war effort
>objectors to US involvement in WWI
could be put in jail
Imprisonment of Eugene V. Debs
• Debs had been on Wilson’s enemy list ever since the 1912
election season. (Debs was the candidate for Socialist Party)
-Debs openly opposed US involvement in WWI, and
often criticized Wilson.
• June 1918, Ohio – he made a speech against the draft and
was arrested for sedition.
• Sentenced to 10 years in prison,
but was pardoned in 1921.
• Ran for President while in jail in
1920, and got 6% of the vote.
Shenck v. United States (1918)
• Charles T. Schenck and Elizabeth Baer were leaders of the
Socialist Party in Philadelphia.
>>They mailed pamphlets to US draftees, trying to
convince them to oppose the war.
>>They were charged with conspiracy to violate the
Espionage Act and Sedition Act, by attempting to cause
mutiny in the army, and obstructing recruitment.
(Schenck)
• Supreme Court Case:
>>his defense argued that he had protection
of speech under the 1st Amendment.
>>The Supreme Court voted 9-0 against him,
claiming that speech during “wartime” was
subject to different standards.
>>Schenck got 6 months in Jail, and Baer got
3 months in jail.
• War bonds:
are debt securities
issued by a government
for citizen purchase, in
order to finance military
operations and other
expenses in times of war.
>>the buyer of the bond
would be paid-back with
a greater amount after
the war was over.
• Liberty Bonds – were the
US version, created
during WWI
• US propaganda:
“Destroy this Mad Brute”
-page 607
-page 607
Created in 1917!
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
• Called the “Spanish Flu”, because the first majorly-publicized
outbreak was in Spain.
-King Alfonso XIII of Spain nearly died from it
-it can actually be traced back to Fort Riley and Fort
Funston in Kansas, which were army training camps
-US troops helped spread the disease to Europe
• It killed millions of people worldwide, and about 500,000
Americans (citizens and soldiers) died from it.
-the Flu killed more American soldiers than enemy
weapons did, and weakened US forces at Argonne.
*it killed more people worldwide in total, than died in WWI*
Rockefeller University and Richard Shope
• Rockefeller (Medical) University in New York City:
-founded in 1901 by oil man John D. Rockefeller as a charity
-Germany had the best medical science, and America was
pretty far behind, but the Rockefeller University helped
improve the nation’s medical standards.
-during the 1918 flu, Rockefeller U. doctors worked hard to
research the flu – gaining helpful knowledge for the future
• Richard Shope:
>>doctor at Rockefeller University
>>In 1931, he discovered that the flu
was caused by a virus, and worked with
British scientists to discover that it was
the same disease as 1918 flu.
Rockefeller University Today (Image)
• flu clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx748gLo_Ks
Part 2: America in the War, and
the Results of World War I
The AEF (American Expeditionary Force)
• -were the United States armed forces sent to Europe in WWI.
served: May, 1917-1919.
• “doughboys” – nickname for American ground troops; it came
from the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), when US
soldiers were covered in dust from marching through
northern Mexico.
>>By 1918, the AEF
consisted of a little
over 1 million men.
(due to draft)
>>Over 50,000 would
die during the war
(1/4th of them).
General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing
• Pershing’s history of service:
-graduated from West Point
-fought in (US) Indian Wars
-fought in battle of San Juan Hill
-fought against Filipino rebels
-killed many of Pancho Villa’s
bandits in Mexico
• Leader of the AEF:
-enforced strict training for US
troops
-insisted that the US troops fight
as their own group, instead of
being used as replacements for
French and Brits
Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch
• French general
• “Supreme Commander of
the Allied Armies”
• General Pershing technically
worked for him.
Foch (left)
-with-
Pershing (right)
US Forces Halt German Advance on Paris
• German 1918 Spring Offensive:
>>Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918: The new communist government
(Bolsheviks) in Russia signed a peace treaty with the German Empire.
>>With peace on the Eastern Front, and unrestricted U-boats attacking
Allied supply ships, the Germans regained power on the Western Front.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTK0gywjGUY (video about German leaders launching Spring Offensive)
>>In March of 1918, the Germans broke through the Western Front
lines, and were about to reach Paris.
US Forces Arrive To Help:
>>The Germans didn’t expect General Pershing and the AEF troops,
who showed-up in time to help defend Paris.
>>Spring/Summer US-Involved Battles in Northern France:
-(battles of) Cantigny, Belleau Wood, and Chateau-Thierry
-page 612 (war map)
Battle of Belleau Wood (June, 1918)
WWI Warzone Map
Battle of St. Mihiel
• Battle of St. Mihiel (September 12th-16th, 1918)
>>(US victory) Fought several miles southeast of the Argonne
Forest, it reduced the German “salient” (bulge in the lines),
and weakened German defense in the Meuse-Argonne region.
(northeastern France)
US forces:
>>550,000 AEF troops led
by General Pershing.
French forces:
>>48,000 French Army
troops also under the
command of Pershing.
Battle of the Argonne Forest
• (26 September – 11 November 1918) Challenges:
>very steep hilly terrain, and dense forest
>Germany had fortified it heavily: many miles of barbed
wire, concrete walls, pit traps, and machine gun nests.
• US forces:
>General Pershing and the AEF: in all, total of 1.2 million US
soldiers, and 40,000 US artillery cannons fought in Argonne.
>Many US soldiers were killed, but the US was able to break
through the German lines. It is seen as one of the turning
points of the Great War.
*Total US deaths in WWI: ~117,000 (more than half by flu)
•
US military action in WWI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a3bqhgTCIg
Famous Pic: US Troops in Argonne with Maxim Gun
Alvin C. York
• Conscientious Objector:
-deeply Christian, he opposed the idea of killing
-drafted at age 29, and decided to fight anyway
• Heroism at the Battle of Argonne Forest:
-killed 25 German soldiers
-took 132 Germans as prisoners
-was awarded the Medal of Honor
-2006 forensics proved his story true
• Movie - “Sargent York”:
-movie about his military career
-used as propaganda during WWII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KftgevurO7s
Armistice Day
• armistice – an agreement to a cease-fire.
• Armistice of the Great War: Signed between the
Allies and Central Powers in Compiègne, France.
-took effect on November 11th, 1918, at 11am.
-11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month
*”all was quiet on the Western Front”*
• In the US, it is celebrated as Veteran’s Day,
which honors all veterans living or dead.
• Other nations celebrate it as some type of
holiday for honoring dead soldiers.
-US Memorial Day: in late May (it changes)
Wilson’s 14 Points (Policy and Document)
• Wilson expanded the US aims of the war from just
defending “freedom of the seas” to a higher goal of
“making the world safe for democracy”.
• Main Ideas of the 14 Points (US War Goals):
>>no more secret diplomacy between nations
>>freedom of the seas, except in territorial waters
>>removal of trade barriers between nations
>>creation of (what was to be) The League of Nations
>>independence for various European ethnic groups
-Polish, Czech-Slovak, Balkans region, etc.
-idea of SELF DETERMINATION
The Treaty of Versailles (1919)
• Signed on June 28th, 1919, in Versailles, France. -page 615
• “Big 4” author nations of the Versailles Treaty:
-the US, Great Britain, France, and Italy
-*Russia was left-out because it was ruled by communists.*
• Conditions of the Treaty (for Austria and The Ottomans):
>Austro-Hungarian Empire broken-up into smaller nations.
(Modern-day Turkey map)
-Czechoslovakia formed
-Yugoslavia formed
>Ottoman Empire broken-up:
-Turkey formed
Treaty of Versailles (cont.)
• Conditions of the Treaty (for Germany):
>Germany lost territory in France and in the east:
-Alsace-Lorraine territory returned to France
-Poland formed
-page 617: territory lost map
>War Guilt Clause: caused Germany to have sole
responsibility for the war, lose its navy, greatly reduce
its land army, and Germany had to pay billions in
reparations.
-Wilhelm II overthrown, German Republic formed
• WWI Aftermath summary video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ-T--Z4oEc
League of Nations
• *Created by the Treaty of Versailles*, with the
urging of Wilson and his administration. -Pg. 616
• The League was and organization of (Mostly
European) nations formed in order to:
-defend each-other against aggressors
-prevent future wars, by using diplomacy and negotiation
-it was the precursor to the United Nations today
-League of Nations video (show after next slide):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdHA5uT9ocg
Lodge(R) vs. Wilson(D) over The League
• Wilson argued that the US joining the League of Nations
would help prevent future wars.
• Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and other Republicans in
Congress argued that it would drag the US into
unnecessary commitments, and limit America’s ability to
act independently.
• In the end, the US:
-rejected the Treaty of Versailles
-refused to join the League of
Nations
-became more isolationist
WWI Leads to Future Conflicts?
• The Treaty of Versailles is said to have led to the rise of
more nationalism, and a desire for revenge in Germany.
• Italy was angered by
the refusal of the
others to give it
former Austrian
territory.
• Japan was angered by
the lack of protection
for non-white nations
in the Treaty.
(show last)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKz
Z1OwPXgk