The US Enters The Great War

Selective Service Act of 1917 Required all men between 21 and 30 to register for the draft Candidates were drafted through a lottery system and then either accepted or rejected for service by a local draft board About 2.8 million Americans were drafted while another 2 million volunteered

African-American Troops Nearly 400,000 blacks were drafted to serve overseas Had to serve in segregated units under white officers, faced racial discrimination Still, many, such as the “Harlem Hell Fighters,” served with distinction, winning medals

The War Industries Board Tasked with efficiently managing US industry in the manufacture of war materials Controlled what products were made in US factories Created in July 1917 Run by former stockbroker Bernard Baruch

Food Administration Responsible for increasing food production and reducing food consumption Encouraged families to grow their own food in “victory gardens” and to observe “Wheatless Mondays” & “Meatless Tuesdays” Run by Herbert Hoover

Fuel Administration To conserve fuel, Daylight Savings Time was created and Americans Asked to observe Heatless Mondays Factories not making war materials had their workweeks shortened

Paying for the War US spent $32 billion on the war Congress raised income taxes and created new taxes on corporations US also borrowed $20 billion from American citizens through the sale of Liberty Bonds or Victory Bonds

The Committee of Public Information Headed by George Creel Publishes propaganda and radio addresses

Do Now. Free Write. In Notes. Think about it! What does patriotism mean to you? Do you think it is important for people to be patriotic? Is it patriotic or anti-American to criticize the US government?

Wartime Measures Espionage and Sedition Acts Infringed on civil liberties Spying on citizens, targeted “adversaries” wrongfully imprisoned critics of war Instituted to encourage loyalty among American citizens (especially German-Americans, Socialists, liberals, and unionists.) Restricted immigration

US Troops Arrive in Europe The “doughboys” (nickname of unknown origin for US soldiers) of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) arrived in France in July 1917 Commanded by General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing

Trench warfare Armies had dug a network of trenches (deep protective ditches) along the Western Front in which soldiers lived and fought Living conditions were poor, many soldiers suffered from diseases such as trench foot

Stalemate The Tactics of Trench Warfare Generals were unprepared for the development of trench warfare: their training was in army mobility Main strategy: To use a combination of heavy artillery and MORE MEN to break the trench line First, to use artillery to “soften up” the enemy and destroy barbed wire Second, to fix bayonets and lead a charge across No Man’s Land Third, to kill the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Exceptions, by mutual consent: No bombing the latrines. No bombing before breakfast. No bombing on major holidays.

Life in the hole The Equipment: Total Weight: 60 lbs. 1 rifle, 1 bayonet, 170 rounds of ammo, 1 gas mask, 1 shovel, wire cutters, a full water bottle, food rations, extra clothing, medical supplies, portable cooking stove and fuel, personal belongings Total Weight: 60 lbs.

“No Man’s Land” The devastated area between the opposing armies’ trench lines where everything had been destroyed Soldiers would come out of the trenches and race toward the enemy while fully exposed to enemy fire

British trench, Thiepval Woods, France

Trench Foot

New Weapons

1. Machine Guns

2. Artillery

3. Poison gas Germans introduced the use of chemical gasses as weapons These gasses could burn the skin, blind, or destroy the lungs if breathed in Fortunately, gas masks and rubber chemical suits offered some protection

4. Tanks

5. Airplanes

6. U-boats (submarines)

7. Hand Grenades

8. Land Mines

Russia Pulls Out of the War Two revolutions in Russia in 1917 ousted Czar Nicholas II The new Russian government negotiated a separate peace with Germany and withdrew Russia from the conflict, closing the Eastern Front

American Victories Summer 1918: US forces successfully defended Paris from a German attack Fall 1918: US forces began the Battle of Argonne Forest, which would eventually shatter Germany’s fighting abilities

The War Ends Revolt broke out in Austria and the Ottomans surrendered to the Triple Entente, leaving Germany alone to fight After a mutiny broke out in the German navy and the people of Berlin erupted in riots over food shortages in Nov. 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II stepped down as Germany’s leader, clearing the way for an armistice

WWI ended at 11 AM, Nov. 11, 1918