Download 1 U.S. History Stacks Goal 8.02-8.03 Chapter 16 Section 2: The

U.S. History
Stacks
Goal 8.02-8.03
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Chapter 16 Section 2: The Home Front
Essential Question: In what ways did citizens of the United States help the war effort?
Assess the political, economic, social and cultural effects of the war on the United States
and other nations.
I. Organizing the Economy
A. Wartime Agencies: to manage the relationship between the federal government
and private companies, Congress created new agencies to coordinate mobilization and
ensure the efficient use of national resources
1. Managing the Economy
a. War Industries Board (WIB): established in July 1917 to
coordinate the production of war materials. Told manufacturers what they could produce,
allocated raw materials, ordered the construction of new factories, and, in a few
instances, set prices. Wilson appointed Bernard Baruch, a Wall Street stockbroker, to run
it.
In 1918, Wall Street investor Bernard Baruch became the chairman of the War
Industries Board. As chairman of the board, Baruch advised on national defense
and helped work out the economic provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
b. Food Administration: most successful agency run by Herbert
Hoover – responsible for increasing food production while reducing civilian
consumption.
i. The Food Administration was created in 1917 to manage
the production and distribution of food. Woodrow Wilson appointed Hebert Hoover to be
the leader of this agency. Hoover encouraged Americans to eat less food and promoted
campaigns such as "Meatless Mondays" and "war gardens" to help the war effort. By
guaranteeing high prices for crops, Hoover was able to get farmers to significantly
expand production. The U.S. was able to supply food to the European Allies.
ii. slogan: “Food Will Win the War – Don’t Waste It,”
encouraged families to conserve food and grow their own vegetables in victory gardens
iii. By having Wheatless Mondays, Meatless Tuesdays, and
Porkless Thursdays, families would leave more food for the troops
2. Paying for the War
a. increased taxes and encouraged people to buy Liberty Bonds and
Victory Bonds which would help cover the costs from the war (approximately $20
billion) – these bonds would be repaid with interest in a specified number of years
B. Mobilizing the Worforce
1. National War Labor Board (NWLB) was formed in March 1815 by
William Howard Taft and Frank Walsh; helped to mediate labor disputes that might
otherwise lead to strikes
2. Women became involved in the industry when the men left for the war
3. “Great Migration:” the time when a large number of African
Americans moved from the South to the Northern cities to help with industries who lost
workers due to the war effort
C. Shaping Public Opinion
1. Committee on Public Information (CPI): The Committee on Public
Information was formed in 1917. The committee consisted of writers and journalists who
U.S. History
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Goal 8.02-8.03
distributed propaganda in order to increase support of the war effort. From 1917 to 1918,
the Committee on Public Information distributed over 75 million pieces of literature. The
committee was headed by George Creel, a journalist.
2. Espionage and Sedition Acts: In 1917, Congress passed the Espionage
Act to protect the country against foreign spies. According to the Espionage Act, there
were stiff penalties for speaking and spreading "false" statements that interfered with the
war effort. In 1918, Congress passed a Sedition Act, prohibiting people from saying or
publishing anything disrespectful to the U.S. government. It also made it a crime to
interfere with the sale of war bonds or to oppose the draft.
3. Eugene V. Debs: In 1905, Eugene V. Debs was one of the leaders of
the Industrial Workers of the World. Later, Debs became the leader of the Socialist Party
which strongly opposed U.S. participation in World War I. On June 16, 1918, Debs was
gave a speech in which he spoke out against the war. He was arrested for violating the
Espionage Act and was sentenced to ten years in prison.
4. Industrial Workers of the World
In 1905, workers in Chicago organized the Industrial Workers of the World. One of its
leaders was Eugene V. Debs, who urged workers to strike and called for many worker
reforms. The aim of the IWW was to unite all skilled and unskilled workers into one
group and rebuild society on this basis. The IWW was strongly opposed to U.S.
participation in World War I and led strikes in many war-related industries.
5. Schenck v. United States: During World War I, Charles Schenck wrote
a pamphlet claiming that the military draft was illegal. Schenck was convicted under the
Espionage Act of attempting to obstruct military recruiting. The case reached the
Supreme Court in 1919. The Supreme Court rejected the argument that the pamphlet was
protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
argued that speech can be suppressed if it creates a clear and present danger.
II. Building the Military
A. Selective Service Act (1917): required all men between 21 and 30 to register
for the draft (forced draft in military)
1. not all American soldiers were drafted – approximately 2 million men
volunteered for military service
B. Influenza killed an estimated 25-50 million people worldwide, including more
than 500,000 Americans
C. Numbers: Many African American soldiers fought with distinction
1. For example, the African American 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions
fought in bitter battles along the Western Front
D. Women in the military: women joined the effort by becoming nurses to the
wounded – the Navy enlisted women; the Army rejected women
1. Served in both the army and navy since the early 1900s
2. Army nurses were the only women in the military sent overseas during
the war. More than 20,000 nurses served in the Army Nursing Corps during the war,
including more than 10,000 overseas.