W ORLD W AR I AND ITS A FTERMATH The Home Front

L EARNING T ARGETS After this lesson you will: Describe the provisions of the Selective Service Act of 1917 Describe women’s involvement in WWI Understand how food and fuel were conserved for the war effort Analyze how the United States paid for the war Know the cause and effects of the Great Migration Understand how the U.S. government “sold” the war to Americans Analyze how the rights of Americans were curtailed in the name of national security Explain the purpose of the War Industries Board and the National War Labor Board, and describe their activities

B UILDING U P THE M ILITARY Selective Service Act of 1917 Required all men between 21 and 30 to register for the draft African Americans in the War Encountered discrimination and prejudice in the Army Women in the Military WWI—the first war in which women officially served

O RGANIZING I NDUSTRY The War Industries Board (WIB) Coordinated the production of war materials The National War Labor Board Maintained cooperation between industry management and labor unions (no strikes!) Food and Fuel Food Administration ran by Herbert Hoover Hooverize: “Serve just enough”, “Wheatless Mondays”, “Meatless Tuesdays”, and “Porkless Thursdays”. Victory Gardens Fuel Administration ran by Harry Garfield Daylight Savings Time introduced Shorter work weeks (for factories not making war materials) “Heatless Mondays” Paying for the War Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds

M OBILIZING THE W ORKFORCE : The National War Labor Board Prevented strikes from disrupting production Women Support Industry: Filled vacated industry jobs left by men fighting in the war Most women returned home after the war The Great Migration Most Factories were located in the Northern U.S. Many African American(AA) men migrated north to fill the factory jobs left by white men who went to fight in the war AA found higher wages Between 300,000 to 500,000 migrated north Mexican Americans also migrated north for jobs

E NSURING P UBLIC S UPPORT Selling the War Committee on Public Information “sold” the war to Americans The “Four Minute Men” Civil Liberties Suspended Espionage Act of 1917 The Sedition Act of 1918 Made any expression of opposition to the war illegal A Climate of Suspicion Fear of spies; “sauerkraut” changed to “liberty cabbage” and “hamburger” changed to “Salisbury steak”; schools dropped German language classes; German Americans were under suspicion The Supreme Court Limited Free Speech Schenck v. the United States (1919) “an individual’s freedom of speech could be curbed when the words uttered constitute a “clear and present danger”.

R EVIEW Q UESTIONS What were the provisions of the Selective Service Act of 1917? How were women involved in WWI? In what ways were food and fuel conserved for the war effort? How did the United States pay for the war? What were the causes and effects of the Great Migration? How did the U.S. government “sell” the war to Americans? In what ways were the rights of Americans curtailed in the name of national security?

E SSAY Q UESTION Explain the purpose of the War Industries Board and the National War Labor Board, and describe their activities.

E SSAY A NSWER Explain the purpose of the War Industries Board and the National War Labor Board, and describe their activities. The purpose of the War Industries Board was to organize industry to increase efficiency and maximize production. It set priorities, told manufacturers what they could and could not make, controlled the flow of raw materials, ordered the construction of new factories, and occasionally, with the president’s approval, set prices. The purpose of the National War Labor Board was to maintain cooperation between industry management and labor unions. It attempted to mediate labor disputes that might otherwise lead to strikes. It frequently pressured industry to grant concessions to workers in exchange for the agreement of labor leaders not to disrupt war production with strikes and other disturbances.