Chapter 21
Section 3
The War at Home
Objectives
• 1. Describe how the U.S. government
prepared the nation for war.
• 2. Discus how organized labor and volunteers
contributed to the war effort.
• 3. Explain why African Americans moved to
the North.
• 4. Relate how the government created
support for, and limited opposition to, the war.
Mobilizing the Nation
• The government set up programs to mobilize and finance the war
effort. The president was behind creating a propaganda program.
• Directing the economy: Wilson knew that the U.S. economy had to
be reorganized to pay for the war. The war will ultimately cost
$35billion dollars. Government issued Liberty bonds and Victory
bonds. Wilson’s son-in-law William McAdoo, secretary of the
treasury, promoted the bonds, posters, parades, and rallies.
• October 1917: The Congress agreed to raise taxes on personal
income and businesses that generated $10 billion
• Federal war boards: were established to coordinate government,
business, and industry. The government did set prices and
production levels of commodities and regulated businesses.
Conserving Resources
• Food Administration: Herbert Hoover-chosen
to oversee the regulation of production and
supply of resources. He believed the effort
had two tasks: 1. encourage increased
agricultural production; 2. conserve existing
food supplies. He also called upon Americans
to reduce food consumption, have wheatless
and meatless days. “Victory Gardens” were
highly encouraged. Forced rationing didn’t
have to occur because of positive promotion.
• Fuel Administration: Director, Harry Garfield-took the
same idea to promote conserving resources. Heatless
Mondays. He was more willing to force rationing. In
1918 the nation was short of coal and he closed all the
factories east of the Mississippi for several days.
• Organizing Industry: Boards were developed to
regulate industrial production and distribution.
• Railroad Administration: led by William McAdoo
worked at realigning the railroad system by setting
limits on wage’s and rates on transportation.
• War Industries Board: director on Wall Street
Bernard Baruch. Businesses were concerned
about government intervene in free
enterprise.
Mobilizing Workers
• Organized Labor: Labor figured out the government
needed labor to produce goods for the war. Labor
went on strike for higher wages and better working
conditions. The strikes worked and conditions
improved.
• April, 1918-National War Labor Board: was
established by Wilson, composing of labor and
business leaders.
• Women started working outside the home taking jobs
that were traditionally for men.
• Interviewer: Norma B. Kastl, explained that most
women thought it was a patriotic duty to work
• Carrie Chapman Catt: a women’s suffrage
leader sat on the Women’s Committee of the
Council for National Defense-agency that
supported the war effort.
• Harriet Stanton Blatch: leader for women and
head of the Food Administration Speakers’
Bureau.
• The outcome of the women’s war effort was
the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Volunteerism
• Americans were good about volunteerism they
conserved energy, recycled essential materials,
purchased Liberty bonds, and planted victory gardens.
• Juliette Gordon Low: affluent, well educated, didn’t
feel she had a purpose and after the death of her
husband she traveled to seek her purposed. Eventually
she met a British hero, Sir Robert Baden-Powell
founder of the Boy Scouts. She became involved in the
Girl Guides in Britain. In 1915 the group came to the
U.S. and became known as the Girl Scouts of America.
She used her own money and resources to encourage
the young women to volunteer for the war effort.
The Great Trek North
• The Great Migration: African Americans left the South
for many reasons. The boll weevil had ruined more
than 85 percent of the South’s cotton crop by 1922.
Floods in the summer of 1915 worsened the situation
for African American sharecroppers, most of whom
were deeply in debt. An earlier depression had reduced
workers’ wages. In addition, racism and the fear of
lynching led many African Americans to flee to the
North. As an editorial in the Chicago Defender stated, “
To die from the bite of frost is far more glorious than at
the hands of a mob.” Many thought why were they
defending the freedoms of Europe, when they had very
little individual freedoms in the U.S.
Influencing Attitudes
• Committee on Public Information: led by George
Creel, was established to create propaganda and
to persuade American to support the war effort.
Because many Americans still believed in
neutrality. At the beginning the CPI distributed
factual material about the war. Later they started
producing movies: The Claws of the Hun and The
Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin. [Creel distributed 75
million pamphlets, 14,000 drawings, and
developed films depicting the wholesome life of
America.]
• The CPI materials started telling Americans to be
careful of German spies. “Patriotic Organizations”
started to emerge with names like “American
Protective League” or “American Defense Society.”
These groups spied, opened people’s mail, and tapped
telephones.
• Products that were German based had name changes.
[hamburger to Salisbury Steak] German language and
music disappeared.
• There was a real push for Americanization teaching the
English language and teaching U.S. History and
government.
Assignment
• Create a poster drawing that promotes prowar propaganda.
• Reminder poster drawings must be creative
and colorful.
• Due Wednesday. Be prepared to share in class.
Suppressing the Opposition
• Some continued to take a pacifist role towards
the war. Religious groups such as the Mennonites
and Quakers were vocal against the war. The
Socialist Party led by Eugene V. Debs were
outspoken against the war. Many felt that the
enemy was trying to control the global market.
• Espionage Act, June, 1917 and Sedition Act a
year later: outlawed acts of treason and made it
a crime.