6.2 - The Home Front
I - Building Up the Military

A.
Progressives controlled Congress and
they applied Progressive ideas to fighting
the war.
Selective Service
1.
Although many young men volunteered, many
felt more soldiers would need to be drafted,
which means forced into military service, also
known as conscription
6.2 - The Home Front
I - Building Up the Military
2.
3.
Selective Service Act 1917
1.
Required all men between 21-30 to register
2.
A lottery randomly determined the order men were
called before the draft board
3.
Local draft boards decided on selecting or exempting
people from military service
Eventually about 2.8 million were drafted
Volunteers for War
B.
1.
Not all soldiers were drafted, approximately 2 million
men volunteered
6.2 - The Home Front
I - Building Up the Military
C.
African Americans in the War
1.
2.
3.
Of the 400,000 African Americans drafted,
about 42,000 served overseas as combat
troops
African American soldiers faced discrimination
as they fought in racially segregated units and
always under white officers.
Despite these challenges, many divisions and
regiments received honors for their combat.
6.2 - The Home Front
II - Organizing Industry


The Progressives’ emphasis on planning
and scientific management shaped the
government’s approach to mobilizing the
American war economy
Congress created special boards
(committees) to ensure the most efficient
use of national resources to further the war
effort
6.2 - The Home Front
II - Organizing Industry
The War Industries Board
A.
1.
2.
War Industries Board – created to coordinate production
of war materials
Told manufacturers what to produce…etc.
Food and Fuel
B.
1.
2.
Food Administration run by Herbert Hoover was
responsible for increasing food production while
reducing civilian consumption
Instead of rationing, Americans were encouraged to
save food on their own, plant gardens…etc.
6.2 - The Home Front
II - Organizing Industry
B.
Food and Fuel (continued)
3.
Fuel Administration tried to manage nation’s
use of coal and oil
1.
Daylight Savings Time was introduced
6.2 - The Home Front
II - Organizing Industry
C.
Paying for the War
1.
2.
3.
By the end of WWI the US was spending $44
million per day (1/2 billion in today’s $$)
Congress raised income tax and taxed
corporate profits
To raise money the government borrowed over
$20 billion from the American people by selling
Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds
1.
Bonds were a loan and the gov’t paid back $$
with interest in a specified number of years
6.2 - The Home Front
III – Mobilizing the Workforce


The government established National War
Labor Board to ensure cooperation of
workers and prevent strikes that could
disrupt war efforts
Unions were recognized and gained power,
causing companies to agree to increased
wages, 8 hour workday…etc.
6.2 - The Home Front
III – Mobilizing the Workforce
A.
Women Support Industry
1.
2.
Women filled industrial jobs vacated by military
men in shipping, manufacturing and railroads
These were not permanent and women
returned to their previous jobs or stopped
working when the service men returned home
after the war
6.2 - The Home Front
III – Mobilizing the Workforce
B.
The Great Migration Begins
1.
2.
The war stopped the flow of immigrants to the
US, which allowed African Americans wartime
jobs
Between 300,000-500,000 African Americans
left the south to settle in the north – this was
known as “The Great Migration”
6.2 - The Home Front
III – Mobilizing the Workforce
C.
Mexican Americans Head North
1.
2.
3.
Many Mexicans migrated to the southwest
providing farm labor
Many also moved north to cities to take
wartime jobs in factories
They faced discrimination and hostility from
Americans
6.2 - The Home Front
IV – Ensuring Public Support
Propaganda and limits on civil liberties were part
of domestic life during WWI.
Selling the War

A.
1.
2.
3.
The Committee on Public Information was a new
government agency that attempted to “sell” the war to
the American people
Pamphlets, posters & speeches helped deliver patriotic
messages
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was formed
to support draft dodgers and their right to object to
serving in the war.
6.2 - The Home Front
IV – Ensuring Public Support
Civil Liberties Curtailed
B.
Espionage – spying to acquire gov’t info
Espionage Act of 1917 established penalties and prison
terms for anyone aiding the enemy
The Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal to criticize the
President or Government
1.
2.
3.
C.
A Climate of Suspicion
A.
The fear of spies and emphasis on patriotism led to the
mistreatment and persecution of German Americans
6.2 - The Home Front
IV – Ensuring Public Support
D.
The Supreme Court Limits Free Speech
1.
In the case of Schneck v. the US (1919), the
Supreme Court limited an individual’s freedom
of speech if the words spoken constituted “a
clear and present danger”
A.
Example: Yelling “fire” in a theatre