Transcript War on the Home Front

Bell Ringer
Which of the long-term causes
(ANIMAL) of America’s
involvement in WWI do you
think had the biggest impact on
pushing us towards war? Why?
War on the Home Front
Selling the War
Britain began selling Americans on
the idea of war long before its actual
involvement.
 Britain cut the transatlantic telegraph
cable from Europe to the U.S., limiting
war news to mainly British reports.
 Used propaganda posters to influence
opinion
 Leaked stories depicting numerous
German war atrocities, e.g. Germans
used corpses to make fertilizer and
soap.
Committee on Public Information
 The Committee on Public Information
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was created to sell the war; headed by
George Creel.
Sent 75000 “four-minute men” to give
patriotic speeches
Created propaganda posters encouraging
people to join, support, or finance the
war
Leaflets and pamphlets told the ideals of
the war
Created movie shorts and propagnada
films (often starring Charlie Chaplin)
Patriotic songs were promoted
“Over There”
Johnnie get your gun, get you gun, get your gun,
Take it on the run, on the run, on the run,
Hear them calling you and me;
Every son of Liberty
Hurry right away, no delay, go today,
Make your daddy glad to have had such a lad
Tell your sweetheart not to pine,
To be proud her boy's in line.
Chorus:
Over There, Over There
Send the word, send the word,
Over There
That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum tumming everywhere
So prepare,
Say a Prayer
Send the word,
Send the word to beware
We'll be over, we're coming over.
And we won't be back till it's over over there!
Johnnie get your gun, get you gun, get your gun,
Johnnie show the Hun, you're a Son-of-a-Gun,
Hoist the flag and let her fly
Like true heros do or die
Pack your little kit, show your grit, do your bit,
Soldiers to the ranks from the towns and the tanks,
Make your Mother proud of you and to Liberty be true.
The Draft
 U.S. needed massive military
force
 Draft implemented for men
18-45
 No longer allowed to purchase
an exemption
 24 million registered; 6.4m
actually called into service
 Supposed to get six months
training – were lucky to get six
weeks
 Women served as nurses, and
blacks served in segregated
units, mostly as support staff
New York City men wait to register for the draft
Anti-German Sentiment
 German-Americans were
largely loyal to the United
States, but were branded as
spies and saboteurs.
 German names were rebranded to more “patriotic”
names.
War Industries Board and National War
Labor Board
 War Industries Board: created to coordinate production of
materials for the war effort
 National War Labor Board: created to settle any worker
disputes and keep people on the job
 Businesses were encouraged to keep wages high and hours long
 Supported by AFL – patriotic duty
 Not supported by IWW (Wobblies) – detrimental to future labor
efforts
Food and Fuel
Administrations
 Food Administration:
Headed by Herbert Hoover,
it relied on volunteer
efforts to conserve food for
the soldiers; was wildly
popular
 Meatless Mondays, WheatlessWednesdays,
etc.
 Encouraged citizens to plant victory
gardens to relieve food for the war effort
Food and Fuel
Administration
 Fuel Administration: Not nearly
as popular; Lightless Nights,
Heatless Tuesdays
 Instituted
Daylight Saving
Time to help
conserve energy
and fuel.
America on the Move
 The Great Migration –
Millions of African
Americans moved to
Northern industrial cities to
fill jobs left by men who left
for war.
 Influx of Mexican
immigrants into Southwest
 Vastly changed demographics,
leading to racial tension
Epidemic!: The
Spanish Flu
 The Spanish flu quickly
spread around Europe
and the United States
 Killed soldiers and
civilians alike
 20 million people
worldwide…
DOUBLE the number
of soldiers killed in
WWI!
Espionage and Sedition Acts
 Espionage Act: sought to
 Sedition Act: sought to
prosecute “spies”
 1,900 prosecutions followed,
including Eugene V. Debs, the
Socialist leader
prosecute anyone engaging in
“seditious” activity
 Essentially negated the first
amendment
 Trading With the Enemy
Act: sought to prosecute those
who traded with the Central
Powers during wartime
 Also imprisoned those who
communicated with the enemy.
Protecting Liberties?
 ACLU: American Civil
Liberties Union
 Created to protect the
basic rights of Americans;
used legal system to
protect citizens and
release the unrightfully
imprisoned
 Schenck v. United States: the
Supreme Court invented
the famous "clear and
present danger" test to
determine when a state
could limit an individual's
right to free speech
11, 11, 11
 The war officially ended
on the 11th hour of the
11th day of the 11th
Month of the year 1918
 Nov. 11, 1918 @ 11am
 The anniversary of the
end of the war became
known as Armistice Day;
now known as Veterans
Day.
Ending the War: The Armistice
 November 11, 1918
 Temporary
agreement to stop
fighting
 Peace negotiations
and treaty followed
Central Powers
Allied Powers
Germany -1.9
million
Austria
Hungary - 1.2
million
Ottoman
Empire - 19%
Great Britain
- 900
thousand
France - 1.3
million
Russia - 1.7
million
Italy - 600
thousand