Chapter 19 Section 4
Americans on the Home Front
Liberty Bonds
• Special bonds to
support the war effort
• They could later be
redeemed for the
original value of the
bond plus interest
– Raised more than $20
billion
Price Controls
• A system of pricing
determined by the
government
– Used on food prices
– Implemented by the
Food Administration led
by Herbert Hoover
Rationing
• Distributing food to
consumers in a fixed
amount
– Hoover had the power to
use rationing, but
decided to make all
civilian sacrifices
voluntary instead
What were three ways that the government
intervened in the economy to help the war effort?
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Liberty bonds
Rationing
Price controls
Daylight savings time
New Agencies, like the
War Industries Board
Describe some of the changes that
wartime brought to the workplace?
• Women worked in jobs
traditionally held by
men
Daylight Savings Time
• Turning clock ahead 1
hour
– Maximize work that can
be done in daylight
– Reduced need for
artificial light
• Lowered fuel costs
Propaganda
• Information used in
order to sway public
opinion
– During the war, the
government developed
the Committee on Public
Information in order to
convince people to
support the war
How does this poster depict German
soldiers?
• They are not depicted
as human
– Savage
– Bloodthirsty
Sedition
• Any speech or action
that encourages
rebellion
What was the purpose of the Sedition
Act?
• Made it illegal to
obstruct the sale of
liberty bonds or to
discuss anything
“disloyal, profane,
scurrilous, or abusive”
about the American
form of government,
the Constitution, or the
army and navy.
Why did many people have a problem
with the Sedition Act?
• It violated the 1st
Amendment’s
guarantee of freedom
of speech
– Convicted more than
1,000 people
– Some sent to prison for
10 years or more
How did the government deal with newspapers,
magazines, and movies during the war?
• The government
censored the press and
banned certain films
• Challenged any media
influences that
threatened the war
effort
– Took away mail
privileges, etc…
How did the government control
political radicals?
• By implementing the
Sedition Act
• Having law enforcement
hound various groups
and individuals (such as
the IWW)
• Vigilantes even
punished some radicals
on their own
Vigilante
• Citizens who take the
law into their own
hands
How did business replace the workers
that the military draft had taken away?
• They allowed, women,
Mexicans, and African
Americans to take over
the work
– Mexicans were actually
encouraged to
immigrate to the U.S. to
work
– African Americans move
from southern farms to
northern cities in order
to find factory work
What impact did the war have on
minorities and women?
• New jobs available
• Seemed to be the
beginning of some
major social change
– Women were ultimately
rewarded with the 19th
Amendment