Transcript World War I and its Aftermath

WORLD WAR I AND ITS
AFTERMATH
The Home Front
LEARNING TARGETS
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After this lesson you will:
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Describe the provisions of the Selective Service Act of
1917
Describe women’s involvement in WWI
Understand how food and fuel were conserved for the
war effort
Analyze how the United States paid for the war
Know the cause and effects of the Great Migration
Understand how the U.S. government “sold” the war
to Americans
Analyze how the rights of Americans were curtailed
in the name of national security
Explain the purpose of the War Industries Board and
the National War Labor Board, and describe their
activities
BUILDING UP THE MILITARY
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Selective Service Act of 1917
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African Americans in the War
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Required all men between 21 and 30 to register for the
draft
Encountered discrimination and prejudice in the Army
Women in the Military
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WWI—the first war in which women officially served
ORGANIZING INDUSTRY
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The War Industries Board (WIB)
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The National War Labor Board
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Coordinated the production of war materials
Maintained cooperation between industry
management and labor unions (no strikes!)
Food and Fuel
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Food Administration ran by Herbert Hoover
Hooverize: “Serve just enough”, “Wheatless Mondays”, “Meatless
Tuesdays”, and “Porkless Thursdays”.
 Victory Gardens
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Fuel Administration ran by Harry Garfield
Daylight Savings Time introduced
 Shorter work weeks (for factories not making war materials)
 “Heatless Mondays”
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Paying for the War
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Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds
MOBILIZING THE WORKFORCE:
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The National War Labor Board
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Prevented strikes from disrupting production
Women Support Industry:
Filled vacated industry jobs left by men fighting in the war
 Most women returned home after the war
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The Great Migration
Most Factories were located in the Northern U.S.
 Many African American(AA) men migrated north to fill the
factory jobs left by white men who went to fight in the war
 AA found higher wages
 Between 300,000 to 500,000 migrated north
 Mexican Americans also migrated north for
jobs
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ENSURING PUBLIC SUPPORT
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Selling the War
Committee on Public Information “sold” the war to
Americans
 The “Four Minute Men”
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Civil Liberties Suspended
Espionage Act of 1917
 The Sedition Act of 1918
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Made any expression of opposition to the war illegal
A Climate of Suspicion
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Fear of spies; “sauerkraut” changed to “liberty cabbage” and
“hamburger” changed to “Salisbury steak”; schools dropped German
language classes; German Americans were under suspicion
The Supreme Court Limited Free Speech
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Schenck v. the United States (1919)
 “an individual’s freedom of speech could be curbed when the
words uttered constitute a “clear and present danger”.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
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What were the provisions of the Selective Service Act of 1917?
How were women involved in WWI?
In what ways were food and fuel conserved for the war effort?
How did the United States pay for the war?
What were the causes and effects of the Great Migration?
How did the U.S. government “sell” the war to Americans?
In what ways were the rights of Americans curtailed in the
name of national security?
ESSAY QUESTION
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Explain the purpose of the War Industries Board and
the National War Labor Board, and describe their
activities.
ESSAY ANSWER
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Explain the purpose of the War Industries Board and
the National War Labor Board, and describe their
activities.
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The purpose of the War Industries Board was to organize
industry to increase efficiency and maximize production. It
set priorities, told manufacturers what they could and could
not make, controlled the flow of raw materials, ordered the
construction of new factories, and occasionally, with the
president’s approval, set prices. The purpose of the National
War Labor Board was to maintain cooperation between
industry management and labor unions. It attempted to
mediate labor disputes that might otherwise lead to strikes.
It frequently pressured industry to grant concessions to
workers in exchange for the agreement of labor leaders not
to disrupt war production with strikes and other
disturbances.