THE HOME FRONT Chapter 9 Section 2

THE HOME FRONT ORGANIZING THE ECONOMY MAIN IDEA The government used progressive ideas to manage the economy and pay for the war. THE HOME FRONT

Organizing the Economy To efficiently manage relationships between the federal government and private companies, Congress created new agencies to coordinate mobilization and ensure efficient use of national resources. War Industries Board (WIB) est. July 1917: coordinate production of war materials Organizing the Economy

Organizing the Economy Food Administration: Run by Herbert Hoover, responsible for increasing food production while reducing civilian consumption Encouraged Victory Gardens: Families grow own vegetables Fuel Administration: Run by Harry Garfield, manage nations use of coal and oil Introduced Daylight Savings time Organizing the Economy

Organizing the Economy End of war US spent $32 billion. To fund the war, Increased income tax New taxes on corporate profits Extra tax on profits from arms factories Borrowed $20 million through sale of Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds American’s who bought these would be repaid with interest after a specified number of years Organizing the Economy

Organizing the Economy Success of the war also required cooperation of workers To prevent strikes, established National War Labor Board (NWLB) Pressured industry to improve wages, adopt 8- hour work day and bargain collectively Labors agreed not to strike or disrupt war production Organizing the Economy

Organizing the Economy With men in military, more companies hired women workers for jobs traditionally for men One million women joined workforce Changes were not permanent but demonstrated women COULD do same job as men African American’s were recruited from south to work in factories (started by Henry Ford) Massive population movement called “Great Migration” Altered racial make up of cities like Chicago, New York, Detroit and Cleveland Organizing the Economy

Organizing the Economy War also encouraged other groups to Migrate 1917-1920 one hundred thousand Mexicans migrated to southwest from Mexico Mexican Americans found factory jobs in Chicago, St. Louis, Omaha and other cities Many faced hostility and discrimination Organizing the Economy

SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION Believe that organizing economy was not enough, had to have government shape public opinion of war Committee on Public Information (CPI): created 11 days after congress declared war, job was to “sell war” to Americans Distributed pamphlets and arranged for patriotic talks to be delivered in public places (like movie theaters) Urged people to support war in various ways SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION

SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION Also passed legislation to limit opposition to war and fight espionage Espionage Act of 1917 Illegal to aid enemy, give false reports or interfere with the war effort The Sedition Act of 1918 Illegal to speak against the war publicly These two laws led to over 1,000 convictions SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION

SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION War time led to attacks on German Americans, labor activists, socialists and pacifists. Ads urged American’s to spy on their neighbors Created American Protective League and Boy Spies of America Espionage and Sedition Act upheld by Supreme Court Even though violated 1st amendment Supreme Court said gov’t could restrict speech when the words constitute a “clear and present danger” SHAPING PUBLIC OPINION

THE HOME FRONT BUILDING THE MILITARY MAIN IDEA The United States instituted a draft for military service, and African Americans and women took on new roles THE HOME FRONT

When entered war in 1917, army and National Guard had slightly more than 300,000 troops Progressives didn’t believe in draft, created selective service Required men ages 21-30 to register for draft and a lottery determined which order they were called before a draft board in charge of selecting or exempting them from service Member of draft board were civilians in community Building the Military

2 million Americans volunteered for military service. Reasons included Believed it was duty Heard of German atrocities Grown up listening to stories of Civil War and Spanish American war and saw WW 1 as grand adventure Building the Military

Horrors of war became apparent, but American Moral was high helping to ensure victory 50,000 died in combat 200,000 were wounded 60,000 died of disease, most from influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 Influenza spread all over world and estimated 25- 50 million people killed including 500,000 Americans Building the Military

Of 400,000 African Americans Drafted, 42,000 served overseas as combat troops Suffered discrimination and prejudice Despite challenges, many African American soldiers fought honorably Building the Military

World War 1 was first war in which women officially served in the armed forces Only in non combat positions Women were mainly in clerical positions (due to shortage of men)… Navy was first to enlist women. They wore standard Uniform, rank yeoman By end of war over 11,000 women served in Navy Building The Military

Army refused to enlist women, hired them as civilians on temporary basis… Only women in Army were in Army Nursing Corps Women nurses served in Army and Navy since 1900 as auxiliaries Army nurses only women sent overseas during war 20,000 nurses served in Army Nursing Corps including 10,000 overseas Building the Military

EXIT TICKET Answer the following questions in a complete sentence Why did Congress pass the Espionage Act in 1917? How did Congress ensure that the United States would have enough troops to serve in World War 1 How did Women serve overseas? What was a victory garden? What did the War Industries Board do? EXIT TICKET