2. Explore the World War One American Home Front Virtual Field Trip Unit - The Violent Release: World War I and Beyond (1914-1920)-- Mr. Reidy ObjectivesDirectionsHome Front

3. Objectives How did the United States ready its military, economy, and people for war?How did the United States ready its military, economy, and people for war? Explain at least one effort from the five homefront contributions: volunteer work, civil defense, conservation efforts, economic initiatives, patriotic support.Explain at least one effort from the five homefront contributions: volunteer work, civil defense, conservation efforts, economic initiatives, patriotic support. Compare and contrast the reasons why some Americans did not support the war. How did the war provide new opportunities for women, African Americans, and Mexican Americans? VFT MENU

4. Discover the American Home Front During World War One! America Mobilizes for War Home Front Contributions Opposition and Consequences War Changes American Society Click on a picture to experience your field trip!

5. America Mobilizes for War –War affects many things, but its greatest impact is on the lives of ordinary people. People fight, sacrifice, and sometimes die in war. People work to produce the food that soldiers eat and the guns that soldiers fire. War touches the lives of millions of individuals. Building an ArmyBuilding an ArmyBuilding an ArmyBuilding an Army Constructing a War EconomyConstructing a War EconomyConstructing a War EconomyConstructing a War Economy Shaping Public OpinionShaping Public OpinionShaping Public OpinionShaping Public Opinion VFT MENU

6. America Mobilizes for War: Building an Army Where was the American Army “built?” Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 4 When the United States entered World War I, the United States Army was only a fraction of the size of European armies. To build the army, President Wilson encouraged Americans to volunteer for service and pushed Congress to pass the Selective Service Act, or known as the draft for young men for military service in Europe. More than 24 million Americans registered for the draft and about 2.8 million were actually drafted, along with about 2 million volunteers. VFT MENU

7. America Mobilizes for War: Constructing a War Economy While the selective service commission raised an army, President Wilson worked to shift the national economy from peacetime to wartime production. First, the Council of National Defense, which was formed in 1916, created an array of new federal administration agencies to oversee different phases of the war effort – such as food production, coal and petroleum distribution, and railway use. The government, and the War Industries Board determined what crops farmers grew, what products industries produced, and how supplies moved around on the nation’s trains. VFT MENU Where was the War economy “built?” Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 War Industries Board

8. America Mobilizes for War: Shaping Public Opinion Government efforts would have been fruitless if the American people did not believe in supporting the war. Most Americans did not understand the reaons for the war in 1914, and many questioned why the United States became involved in 1917. It was the job of the Committee on Public Information (CPI) to educate the public about the causes and nature of the war. The CPI had to convince Americans that the war effort was a just cause. VFT MENU How was the American opinion shaped? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 CPI poster

9. Home Front Contributions –Swept up by patriotic fervor, most Americans participated in efforts to strengthen their countries cause. Americans knew that victory depended on a strong home front. Volunteer WorkVolunteer WorkVolunteer WorkVolunteer Work Conservation EffortsConservation EffortsConservation EffortsConservation Efforts Economic InitiativesEconomic InitiativesEconomic InitiativesEconomic Initiatives Patriotic SupportPatriotic SupportPatriotic SupportPatriotic Support VFT MENU

10. Home Front Contributions: Volunteer Work Americans made bandages, knit socks, collected books and enrolled in Red Cross, Victory Corps and Civilian Defense organizations to support the troops abroad. Where did Americans volunteer? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 VFT MENU

11. Home Front Contributions: Conservation Efforts How did conserving food on the home front help the war effort? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 5 Web Link – 5 Web Link - 6 Web Link - 6 After the United States entered the war in April 1917, President Woodrow Wilson appointed Hoover head of the American Food Administration. Hoover believed "food will win the war." He established set days to encourage people to avoid eating particular foods in order to save them for soldiers' rations. Hoover instituted wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays, meatless Tuesdays, and porkless Thursdays and Saturdays. Hoover also asked Americans to conserve food as a patriotic gesture. VFT MENU

12. Home Front Contributions: Economic Initiatives War bonds and stamps were sold to provide war funds, women went to work in factories and the War Production Board promoted increased industry efforts. Explain the economic efforts on the American home front. Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 5 Web Link – 5 Web Link – 6 Web Link – 6 VFT MENU

13. Home Front Contributions: Patriotic Support War songs, movies, rallies, victory concerts, v-mail, buttons, medals, memorials and monuments encouraged patriotic efforts at home. How was America patriotic? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 5 Web Link – 5 VFT MENU

14. Opposition and its Consequences –The Committee on Public Information’s (CPI) work was important because Americans did not always peacefully agree with one another about the war. Some people treated German Americans with prejudice, while others were pacifists who opposed war. To quite dissent, or differing opinions, the government acted in ways that sometimes violated individual liberties. Resistance to the DraftResistance to the DraftResistance to the DraftResistance to the Draft Women work for PeaceWomen work for PeaceWomen work for PeaceWomen work for Peace The Government Cracks Down on DissentThe Government Cracks Down on DissentThe Government Cracks Down on DissentThe Government Cracks Down on Dissent Prejudice Against German AmericansPrejudice Against German AmericansPrejudice Against German AmericansPrejudice Against German Americans VFT MENU

15. Opposition and its Consequences: Resistance to the Draft The draft created controversy. Some men refused to cooperate with the Selective Service Act because the act was seen as an illegal intrusion of the federal government into their private lives. Some were often court-martialed and imprisoned. Another group resisted the draft by becoming conscientious objectors, people whose moral or religious beliefs forbid them to fight in wars. VFT MENU Why did some resist the draft? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 4

16. Opposition and its Consequences: Women Work for Peace Some American women also opposed the war. Before the war, a number of leading American feminists, including reformer Jane Addams, formed the Women’s Peace Party and, with pacifist women from other countries, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, voted against the declaration of war. When America joined the war, groups like the National American Woman Suffrage Association supported America’s war objectives. VFT MENU How did some women mobilize themselves prior and during WWI? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 4 Web Link – 4

17. Some felt that the work of the Committee of Public Information (CPI) violated free expression and democracy. Authorities tended to treat harshly individuals who worked against the goal of winning the war. In June 1917, Congress passed the Espionage Act, allowing postal authorities to ban treasonable print materials from the mail. In 1918, Congress limited freedom of speech even further with the Sedition Act. The act made it unlawful to use any negative language towards the American government. In Schenck v. United States, the Supreme Court supported the constitutionality of the Sedition Act, claiming that war leads suppression of personal freedoms and individual rights. Opposition and its Consequences: The Government cracks down on dissent VFT MENU Why did the American Government crack down on dissent? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3

18. Opposition and its Consequences: Prejudice Against German Americans Some German Americans were treated harshly during the war. Americans regarded Germany – with its arrogant Kaiser, ruthless generals, and spike-helmeted solders – as the primary foe among Central Powers. Popular movies, such as The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin, as well as some CPI posters and speeches intensified the feeling of portraying Germany as a cruel enemy. Anything with a German meaning, like food, was renamed or discontinued. Some German Americans were harassed, others were beaten, and a few were killed for no other reason than they were born in Germany or spoke with a German accent. VFT MENU Why were some Americans prejudice towards German Americans? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2

19. The War Changes American Society –The war not only changed the economic and political lives of Americans, but it also brought substantial social changes. Women Embrace New OpportunitiesWomen Embrace New OpportunitiesWomen Embrace New OpportunitiesWomen Embrace New Opportunities African Americans follow Opportunity NorthAfrican Americans follow Opportunity NorthAfrican Americans follow Opportunity NorthAfrican Americans follow Opportunity North Mexican Americans Move NorthMexican Americans Move NorthMexican Americans Move NorthMexican Americans Move North VFT MENU

20. The War Changes American Society: Women Embrace New Opportunities Before the war, some American women campaigned for women’s suffrage. They won the vote in several western states and still hoped to gain the franchise nationally. As men entered the armed forces, many women moved into the workforce for the first time. Women proved that they could succeed in any type of job. Many feared that the war would draw attention away from their efforts. In fact, the war gave women new chances and won them the right to vote in 1919. Congress passed the 19 th Amendment. VFT MENU How did American women embrace new opportunities? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3

21. The War Changes American Society: African Americans follow Opportunity North Thousands of African Americans enlisted or were drafted into the army and participated in Europe, where they were segregated on the battlefields. Desiring a better living back home, the Great Migration was a movement of African Americans from the rural South to the industrial North. African Americans were pushed from the South by Jim Crow segregation laws, racial violence, low-paying jobs, decline of cotton crop. African Americans were pulled to the North by economic prosperity, job openings, and aid. What influenced African Americans to travel north? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 3 Web Link – 3 Web Link - 4 Web Link - 4 VFT MENU

22. The War Changes American Society: Mexican Americans Move North Some of the same reasons that led African Americans to move north caused Mexicans to cross the border into the United States. Many Mexicans also faced violence and desperate poverty, and they also wanted better lives for themselves and their children. Most Mexicans immigrated to the American West. Increased demands for food and a decrease in American farm workers created jobs that Mexican migrants filled. VFT MENU What influenced Mexican Americans to travel north? Web Link – 1 Web Link – 1 Web Link – 2 Web Link – 2