United states home front during world war i
Woodrow Wilson
President Wilson publicly and formally stated that the United States would follow a policy of neutrality. His position of keeping the United States neutral was so intense that in 1917 he passed a law that allowed enforced neutrality.
President Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States who served two terms from 1913 to 1919. Despite President Wilson's desire to keep America from being involved with the war, after Germany sunk the Lusitania, a British ocean liner that ended up taking the lives of 128 Americans and 700 and some others, the United States entered the war.
Not only the Lusitania was a part the events that together caused the US's entry, the Zimmerman note also had quite a large hand in that decision. The Zimmerman note was a 1917 proposal telegram from the German empire to persuade Mexico to join the Central Powers. In it, Germany offered Mexico: Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. By doing so, the empire had assumed that they would conquer the U.S. and thus angered the nation.
President Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States who served two terms from 1913 to 1919. Despite President Wilson's desire to keep America from being involved with the war, after Germany sunk the Lusitania, a British ocean liner that ended up taking the lives of 128 Americans and 700 and some others, the United States entered the war.
Not only the Lusitania was a part the events that together caused the US's entry, the Zimmerman note also had quite a large hand in that decision. The Zimmerman note was a 1917 proposal telegram from the German empire to persuade Mexico to join the Central Powers. In it, Germany offered Mexico: Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. By doing so, the empire had assumed that they would conquer the U.S. and thus angered the nation.
German Americans during World War I faced discrimination after the United States entered the war against Germany and the Central Powers in 1917 after President Woodrow Wilson managed to keep up neutrality for the United States for two and a half years.
Anti-German sentiment grew to where Germans were referred to as "Huns", people stopped playing Bach and Beethoven's music, German-speaking immigrant's churches began to perform their sermons in English, public schools stopped offering the language, and dachshunds were referred to as liberty hounds. |
African Americans in World War I fought as soldiers among others, not only to protect their country but for respect for themselves and their families. In 1917, after America had declared war on Germany an act was passed that allowed African American males, aged 21-31, to enlist in the army. The act was passed because the military realized that a standing army of 126,000 soldiers would not be enough.
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Women
Due to the high caliber of men who had been drafted into the war, women took jobs back at home to support their families whose income had previously depended on the man solely (in some cases). Women's efficient work and surprising ability to endure more heavy work was eventually a recognized accomplishment, though their entrance into the workforce was initially met with hostility as the men who still worked were worried the large number of women would run their wages into the ground or put them out of the job. From 1914 to 1918 1.6 million women joined the workforce in government jobs, factories, the post office, public transit and more.
The most "visible face" of the women's workforce of World War I became women employed in munitions factories, or known as "munitionettes". Their motivations and willingness to work was not only economic, to support their families during the war, but patriotic as well.
The Government invited women to join the Woman's Land Army, but the 260,000 volunteers were given little more than a uniform and orders to work hard. The government counted on women's cheerful attitude towards the labor for cheap land to boost production.
By 1935, women's wages had returned to what they had been before the war, half of what men received.
The most "visible face" of the women's workforce of World War I became women employed in munitions factories, or known as "munitionettes". Their motivations and willingness to work was not only economic, to support their families during the war, but patriotic as well.
The Government invited women to join the Woman's Land Army, but the 260,000 volunteers were given little more than a uniform and orders to work hard. The government counted on women's cheerful attitude towards the labor for cheap land to boost production.
By 1935, women's wages had returned to what they had been before the war, half of what men received.
Civil Liberties
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Schenck vs. United States was a 1919 supreme court case that focused on when, or if, a state could constitutionally limit what free speech the First Amendment an individual was entitled to. Charles Schenck had given draftees fliers that claimed to find their service against the Thirteenth Amendment, which bans slavery. His fliers claimed that the draft was a horrible, "monstrous" act.
The Schenck vs. United States resulted in the Court ruling that Schenck would not be protected in his situation. And that during wartime, some things that are okay in peacetime are not acceptable. The case truly brought to light the double standard present in American government. Schenck's charges included "conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act of 1917, and attempting to cause insubordination in the military". The case was argued in court on January 9th, 1919. And the final judgement was called March 3rd, 1919.
The Schenck vs. United States resulted in the Court ruling that Schenck would not be protected in his situation. And that during wartime, some things that are okay in peacetime are not acceptable. The case truly brought to light the double standard present in American government. Schenck's charges included "conspiracy to violate the Espionage Act of 1917, and attempting to cause insubordination in the military". The case was argued in court on January 9th, 1919. And the final judgement was called March 3rd, 1919.
Strikes and Labor unions
During World War I, the American Union Against Militarism (organized by Anne Louise Strong) brought together liberal organizations, church groups, and the Central Labor Council to agitate against America entering the war.
The picture on the right is of Anne Louise Strong of Seattle herself. Street polls conducted by her organization on the street concluded that 90% of citizens (in that area) opposed the war, despite all of the propaganda the government was spreading to make citizens feel more comfortable with the idea of entering the war. |
The American Federation of Labor, on the other hand (Led by Samuel Gompers) was highly supportive of the war effort. The A.F.L. or American Federation of Labor encouraged young men to enlist in the military and minimized it's strikes during the wartime.
The A.F.L. was one of the first labor unions in America. Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1885. |
Committee on Public Information
The CPI, or Committee on Public Information was a branch of government created to influence public opinion. Over just 28 months, from April 13, 1917, to August 21, 1919, the group archived its goal through propaganda. It was made to create and encourage optimism towards the war.
President Woodrow Wilson established the group on April 13, 1917 and consisted of George Creel, Robert Lansing, Newton D. Baker, and Josephus Daniels.
President Woodrow Wilson established the group on April 13, 1917 and consisted of George Creel, Robert Lansing, Newton D. Baker, and Josephus Daniels.
Financing the War and Rationing
Rationing in World War I was not unusual, in fact it was encouraged by the United States governments. They released a multitude of propaganda just on the subject on how it is/was the duty of American citizens to ration their food to support their troops. The entirety of the Committee on Public Information was on the job to do just that, encourage rationing.
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World War I cost America, in all, about 321 billion dollars during the years in which the U.S. was a part of the war(1941-1945). In the 1940's, that much money is far more than it would be today. Their financing methods included, but were not limited to: deficit spending, borrowing, and increased taxes.
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Food administration
President Hoover did not want to make food rations mandatory and encourages "fun" events such as "wheat-less Wednesdays" and "meatless Mondays" and emphasized how it would help the soldiers overseas, fighting to keep the peace back at home.
Propaganda such as the posters below were distributed to encourage an optimistic view on the ration.
Propaganda such as the posters below were distributed to encourage an optimistic view on the ration.
Information graciously found on a multitude of websites including: http://histclo.com/essay/war/ww2/cou/us/aod/aod-fin.htmlhttp://fff.org/explore-freedom/article/safe-espionage-act-1917/, http://www.feldmeth.net/US/ww1civlib.html, http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-tpic/af-amer/afa-1917.htm, http://www15.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/germ-ww1.html, http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Espionage+Act+of+1917, http://home.comcast.net/~mruland/StuGallery/ushist/reform/2007/46.html, http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/womenww1_four.htm, http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/zimmermann/,
Schenck: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/capitalism/landmark_schenck.html, http://mflmiguelaolg.wikispaces.com/file/view/freespeech.jpg/398173792/freespeech.jpg
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1918/1918_437
Schenck: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/capitalism/landmark_schenck.html, http://mflmiguelaolg.wikispaces.com/file/view/freespeech.jpg/398173792/freespeech.jpg
http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1918/1918_437