The Home Front

The Home FrontSection 2

Building Up the Military

1917 army and National Guard combined had around 300,000 troops

Many more were needed for war Progressives, who were still in power, believed a draft was a

violation of democratic and republican beliefs Conscription- forced military service Congress realized a draft was needed Created a new conscription system called selective service

Selective Service Act 1917- required all men between 21-30 to register for the draft

A lottery randomly selected the order 2.8 million Americans were drafted; 2 million more volunteered

African Americans in the War

Nearly 400,000 African Americans were drafted 42,000 served overseas as combat troops African Americans encountered many challenges

Encountered discrimination Encountered prejudice Segregated units with white officers

Fought with distinction in the war Many won praise from Marshal Henri Petain (French commander)

and General John Pershing (U.S. Commander) Entire 369th Infantry Division won highly prized French

decoration, Croix de Guerre (war cross)

Women in the Military WWI was first war in which women officially served in the armed

forces…only noncombat though Prior to WWI women worked as auxiliaries to men Most men were called to active duty 1917 navy authorized the enlistment of women By end of the war 11,000 women served in the navy Women’s tasks:

Clerical duties (nurses) Radio operators Electricians Pharmacists Photographers Chemists Torpedo assemblers

Cont.

Army refused to enlist women Only women to actually serve in the army were Army Nursing

Corps Army nurses were the only women in the military to be sent

overseas during the war 20,000 nurses served in army during war; 10,000 overseas

Organizing Industry

Congress created special boards to coordinate mobilization of the economy

Government didn’t control the economy, instead these boards did, emphasizing cooperation between big business and government

Goal was to ensure most efficient use of national resources to further the war effort

The War Industries Board

War Industries Board (WIB)- job was to coordinate the production of war materials

President Wilson didn’t give the WIB authority over the economy at first, but by March 1918 he decided industrial production needed better coordination

Bernard Baruch was appointed to run it WIB told manufacturers what they could and could not produce Controlled the flow of raw materials, ordered the construction of

new factories, and occasionally set prices, with Wilson’s approval

Food and Fuel

Read this section Understand the Food Administration Victory gardens Daylight savings time

Paying for the War

Read this section Understand how the government planned to pay for the

war Liberty and Victory Bonds

Liberty Bonds

Victory Bonds

Women Support Industry

The war increased working opportunities for women Filled industrial jobs that were vacated by men serving in the

military War-generated changed for women were not permanent When men returned after the war women returned to their

previous job or stopped working

Great Migration

With the flow of immigrants from Europe cut off and large numbers of white workers being drafted, the war opened new doors for African Americans

Thousands of African Americans flocked to factory vacancies 300,000-500,000 African Americans fled the Southern cities

moving to Northern cities, the Great Migration Altered racial makeup of

Chicago New York Cleveland Detroit

Selling the War

George Creel was in charge of selling the war to the people

He was the head of the Committee of Public Information CPI

He recruited advertising executives, commercial artists, authors, songwriters, entertainers, public speakers and motion picture companies to sway public opinion in favor of war

Civil Liberties

Espionage- spying to acquire secret government information Espionage Act of 1917- established penalties and prison terms for

anyone who gave aid to the enemy Penalized disloyalty, giving false reports, or otherwise interfering with

the war effort Post Office even hired college professors to translate foreign

periodicals to find out if they contained antiwar messages Sedition Act 1918- further expanded the Espionage Act, allowing

officials to prosecute anyone who criticized the president or the government