Download 8-6.1

Keep this ETK in your binder until the end of the year
Read carefully, then on a separate sheet of paper define the terms, and respond to the
questions that follow in complete sentences so that the question is part of the answer.
8-6.1: Explain the reasons for United States involvement in World War I and the war's
impact on South Carolina and the nation as a whole, including the building of new
military bases and the economic impact of emigration to industrial jobs in the North.
The United States declared neutrality at the outbreak of the war. However, various factors
challenged American neutrality and eventually led to the involvement of the United States
in what came to be known as the Great War. The traditional trading partnership with
Great Britain and the blockade of German ports by the British Navy severely limited
American trade with Germany. American businesses made loans to the Allies in order to
continue trade. Public opinion was impacted by America's traditional connection to the
British. The German use of the submarine affected public opinion against Germany and
alienated President Wilson, who was incensed by the loss of innocent lives. The 1915
German U-boat's sinking of the British passenger ship, the Lusitania, brought about sharp
protests from President Wilson but did not bring the United States into the European war.
Instead, Germany pledged to restrict their use of submarines. Wilson campaigned for reelection in 1916 on the slogan "He kept us out of war." The interception and publication
by the British of Germany's Zimmerman note to Mexico negatively impacted American public
opinion. In early 1917, revolution in Russia replaced the monarchy with a republic and
President Wilson could now consider allying the United States with a 'democratic' Russia.
The decision of Germany to resume unrestricted submarine warfare in the spring of 1917
and Wilson's desire to broker a just peace prompted him to ask Congress to declare war
on Germany in April 1917. President Wilson announced his intention to "make the world
safe for democracy" and later issued his Fourteen Points. The American Expeditionary
Force affected the course of the war by deflecting the last push of the Germans on the
western front in France. The armistice of November 11, 1918 ended the fighting between
the Allies and the Central Powers.
As a result of United States' entrance into World War I in 1917, there was a resurgence
of patriotism in South Carolina. Both white and African American South Carolinians
signed up for the draft, contributed to bond drives, and did their part to conserve food
and fuel for the front. Many South Carolinians served in the American Expeditionary force
with distinction. However, all wartime activity remained segregated. Just as on the
national scene, anti-German feelings were manifested in the shutdown of a German
language newspaper in Charleston and changing of the name of the town of Hamburg to
North Augusta. Although some South Carolinians opposed the war, their voices were
silenced by the Sedition Act.
Economically, South Carolina benefited from the war. New military bases were
constructed at Camp Jackson (present-day Fort Jackson) in Columbia and in Spartanburg
and Greenville. The Charleston Navy Yard and the United States Marine Corps base at
Parris Island grew to meet the needs of wartime. All of these facilities brought federal
dollars into the state and stimulated the local economy, but they also reflected the
segregated society of South Carolina. Farmers throughout the country saw good times as
prices rose for their crops now in high demand for the war effort. This was particularly true
for South Carolina's cotton farmers, including sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Despite
the improvement in the farm economy, many South Carolinians, especially African
Americans, were drawn to jobs in the war industries of the North. Emigration to industrial
jobs in the North continued a trend that first started in the 1890s. African American
emigrants found a degree of independence, community, and economic opportunity that
allowed their culture to flourish.
African Americans volunteered for service in World War I to prove their patriotism and
make a claim to equal treatment under the law. However, African-American South
Carolinians who served their country in the 'war to make the world safe for democracy'
returned to a racist South Carolina. In early l919, a convention of African Americans met in
Charleston to protest against Jim Crow and restrictions on voting and to ask for
improvements in schools. Later in the year, a race riot in Charleston, sparked by a white
attack on African American citizens, claimed the lives of three African Americans. Similar
riots occurred in other parts of the country. Throughout the South many African Americans,
some still in their army uniforms, were lynched in the year after the war ended.
Terms (Use the textbook and ETK) – trench warfare, isolationists, neutrality, resurgence
1. What German weapon led to the U.S. entering World War I?
2. What changes came about in South Carolina because of the war?
3. What are some ways that South Carolina benefitted economically from World War I?
4. Did fighting in WWI change things for African Americans?