Pageant 13th Ch 30 lecture

The War to End War1917-1918

Lecture

Chapter 30The American Pageant, 13th edition

Quickwrite What was the goal of the Committee

of Public Information, and how did it achieve it?

OR What was the purpose of Wilson’s

Fourteen Points Address?

US Enters the War What led the US to finally enter the war in

April, 1917? How prepared was the US for battle in

Europe?

US Enters the War Zimmerman Note

German foreign secretary Zimmerman sent telegram offering German-Mexican alliance

Suggested return of old Mexican territory if US was defeated Intercepted by British & passed on to US

Americans furious; adds to anti-German anger

Unrestricted submarine warfare New submarine attacks push the US to declare war

Four unarmed US merchant vessels sunk in two weeks

US declares war on Germany on April 6,

1917 The US was not prepared for war

Wilson inspired the populace with the call “to make the world safe for democracy”

The Fourteen Points What was the purpose of Wilson’s Fourteen

Points Address? How did the Fourteen Points address

colonial issues? What was the most important of the

Fourteen Points?

The Fourteen Points Purpose of the Fourteen Points

Offer solutions to long-standing issues that had led to WW1

Perhaps lead to a quick conclusion to the war

Key Themes of the Fourteen Points Abolish secret treaties Freedom of the seas Removal of economic barriers Reduction of armaments Shifting of colonial claims to address

colonists’ and imperialists’ concerns

More Key Themes of the Fourteen Points

Eventual self-determination of minority nationalities

International organization for shared security Led to the League of Nations (predecessor to the

United Nations)

The US War Effort What was the goal of the Committee of

Public Information, and how did it achieve it? What was the effect of the war on

German-Americans? American civil liberties? The labor movement? African-Americans? American women?

Committee on Public Information Propaganda committee to convince Americans to

support the war, led by George Creel And other countries to support Wilson’s goals

Forms of propaganda Army of 75,000 patriotic speechgivers Posters Leaflets and pamphlets Anti-German movies Patriotic and pro-military songs (Over There)

Sold program so well that disappointment was great when not all Wilson’s goals were fulfilled

Over There Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,

Take it on the run, on the run, on the run,Hear them calling you and me, ev'ry son of libertyHurry right away, no delay, go todayMake your Daddy glad to have had such a lad,Tell your sweetheart not to pine, to be proud her boy's in line

Over there, over there!Send the word, send the word, over there!That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming,The drums rum-tumming ev'rywhere!So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware!We'll be over, we're coming over,And we won't come back 'til it's overOver There!

12 Over There.m4p

…Over ThereJohnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,Johnnie show the Hun you're a son of a gun!Hoist the flag and let her fly,Yankee Doodle do or diePack your little kit, show your grit, do your bitYankees to the ranks from the towns and the tanksMake your mother proud of you and the old Red White and Blue

Over there, over there,Send the word, send the word, over there!That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming,The drums rum-tumming ev'ry whereSo prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to bewareWe'll be over, we're coming over,And we won't come back 'til it's overOver There!

German Americans Most German Americans supported US, but

fears spread anti-German fervor and led to sometimes mistreatment A few tarred and feathered, beaten; one lynched German foods renamed “liberty cabbage” and

liberty steak” while German music etc ignored (no Beethoven or Wagner)

Civil Liberties Espionage Act of 1917 & Sedition Act of 1918

Led to 1900 prosecutions directed mostly at German-Americans, anti-war activists, and social radicals

Socialist leader Eugene Debs and Labor Leader Bill Haywood each sentenced to 10 years

Criticism of government often censored or punished Schenk vs. U.S.

Supreme Court case supported censorship by saying that freedom of speech could be revoked when it posed a “clear and present danger”

“Labor Will Win the War” War effort built up by US workers National Labor War Board mostly treated workers

fairly Worked to avoid labor disputes Pushed concessions for higher wages & 8-hour day

AF of L supported the war; IWW did not AF of L skilled workers wages rose 20% IWW unskilled workers (Wobblies) often badly treated

Still about 6,000 strikes during WW1 Steelworkers strike the biggest in US history (250,000

workers out)

African-Americans First major African-American migration

north occurred during WW1 10,000s went north for wartime jobs, most stayed

Beginning of the “Great Migration” Led to race riots in some communities

East St. Louis, MO Chicago: two weeks of violence led to 23 blacks

and 15 whites killed

Women & the War Effort Women’s Movement split between pro- and

anti-war feminists But pro-war women in the majority Gained them much gratitude and respect from

president who had previously ignored call for woman suffrage (finally achieved in 1920)

1000s of women worked in factories replacing men at war, or served as nurses at the front Most returned home after war

Home Front War Effort Home Front efforts largely voluntary

“heatless Mondays”, “meatless Tuesdays”, etc. Victory Gardens in backyards farm production increased 25% Liberty Bonds

Over There, Over There What was the difference between the

expectation and the reality of war for the American soldiers?

How important was the arrival of the Americans to the Allied victory?

Over There, Over There Conscription (or Draft) Law was reluctantly

passed by Congress 4 million men joined or were drafted

Sent over with minimal training More than 10,000 women also joined as support

staff African-American men served in segregated

units under white officers, mostly as support staff (construction, shiploading, etc)

Though poorly trained and late in arriving,

US soldiers tipped the balance in the Allies’ favor Through relatively few Americans died, several

battles were fierce and deadly (Argonne Forest) Germans surrender Nov 11, 1918 due to

sheer number of Americans arrived…and expected

exhaustion of their own forces and resources

After Armistice What was the result of the 1918 U.S.

elections and how did it affect Wilson’s position at the Treaty conference?

What led to Wilson’s downfall at home and abroad?

What were some of the main ideas of the final Treaty of Versailles?

After Armistice Wilson was at the peak of popularity, but his partisan

campaigning led to a narrow Republican win in Congress

Wilson arrived at Treaty negotiations politically weaker due to Democratic election losses Made matters worse by only inviting one Republican to the

Treaty meetings Despite all his efforts, only one of his Fourteen Points

was adopted by Allies: the League of Nations Germany was seriously punished for its key role Colonies simply switched from one imperialist to another etc

Wilson campaigned around the country to get

public support for Treaty of Versailles Wilson collapsed while on his campaign, then had a

stroke; virtually immobile back at the White House Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge

presented compromises to Wilson for Treaty agreement, but Wilson refused Lodge asked to add list of reservations over US

sovereignty (objected to League of Nations) Treaty vote failed to get 2/3 required vote in the

Senate US never signed Treaty of Versailles

Aftermath US voters turned out Democrats in next

election Republican Warren G Harding elected president

in 1920 Led to more conservative politics and

isolationism of the 1920s Without US support, Treaty of Versailles

and League of Nations ultimately fail Hitler and Germany rise again 20 years later