CHAPTER 10 SECTION 2THE HOME FRONT

• BEFORE THE WAR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PLAYED A MINOR ROLE IN THE DAILY LIVES OF AMERICANS – THIS CHANGES DURING WWI

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ASSUMED NEW POWERS:

1. REGULATED INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION2. REGULATED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION3. WORKED TO SHAPE PUBLIC OPINION4. ESTABLISHED A NEW MILITARY DRAFT

• WAR BROUGHT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES CAUSING MIGRATION IN SEARCH OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES

• WAR ALSO CHANGED AMERICANS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR GOVERNMENT

MOBILIZING FOR WAR

• TO BUILD UP THE ARMY PRESIDENT WILSON ENCOURAGED AMERICANS TO VOLUNTEER AND PUSHED CONGRESS TO PASS THE SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT – WHICH AUTHORIZED A DRAFT OF YOUNG MEN FOR MILITARY SERVICE IN EUROPE

• MORE THAN 9.6 MILLION REGISTERED AND WERE ASSIGNED A NUMBER – GOVERNMENT THEN HELD “GREAT NATIONAL LOTTERY” TO DECIDED THE ORDER IN WHICH THE FIRST DRAFTEES WOULD BE CALLED INTO SERVICE

PRESIDENT WILSON ALSO WORKED TO SHIFT THE ECONOMY FROM A PEACETIME ECONOMY TO A WARTIME ECONOMY – SLOW PROCESS

THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE – CREATED NEW FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES TO OVERSEE DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE WAR EFFORT

-- DIFFERENT AGENCIES REGULATED FOOD PRODUCTION, COAL AND PETROLEUM DISTRIBUTION AND RAILWAY USE – MEANING THE GOVERNMENT DETERMINED WHAT CROPS WERE GROWN, WHAT PRODUCTS WERE PRODUCED AND HOW SUPPLIES WERE MOVED

PROBLEMS LED TO THE CREATION OF THE WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD (WIB) – HEADED BY BERNARD BARUCH

• THE WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD: 1. REGULATED ALL INDUSTRIES ENGAGED IN THE WAR EFFORT 2. DETERMINED WHAT PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES WOULD MAKE 3. WHERE PRODUCTS WOULD BE SENT 4. HOW MUCH PRODUCTS WOULD COST

• THE WIB INFRINGED ON THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM TO FULFIL THE NATION’S NEED FOR WAR MATERIALS

FOOD ADMINISTRATION – HEADED BY HERBERT HOOVER – SET PRICES HIGH FOR WHEAT AND OTHER FOODSTUFFS TO ENCOURAGE FARMERS TO INCREASE PRODUCTION – HE ASKED AMERICANS TO CONSERVE FOOD FOR PATRIOTIC REASONS SO THEY WOULD HAVE MORE TO SEND TO SOLDIERS OVERSEAS

MOST AMERICANS DID NOT KNOW THE REASONS OF THE WAR – THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION – LED BY GEORGE CREEL - EDUCATED THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE CAUSES AND NATURE OF THE WAR – HAD TO CONVINCE AMERICANS THAT THE WAR EFFORT WAS A JUST CAUSE

• THE CPI SPEAKERS GAVE LECUTRES AND SPEECHES TO GET AMERICAN SUPPORT – ALSO HAD POSTERS THAT SHOWED THE NEEDS OF AMERICA AND ALLIES AND ALSO THE CRUELTY OF THE ENEMY – ESPECIALLY THE GERMANS

AMERICAN OPPOSITION TO THE WARMEMBERS OF TWO LARGE ETHNIC GROUPS OPPOSED THE ALLIES:

THE GERMAN AMERICANS AND THE IRISH AMERICANS – CAUSED RESENTMENT OF AMERICANS – ESPECIALLY AGAINST GERMAN AMERICANS

TO TRY TO STOP THE OPPOSITION THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD TO DO THINGS THAT TRESPASSED ON INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES

• DRAFT CREATED PROBLEMS – MANY BELIEVED IT WAS AN ILLEGAL INTRUSION INTO THEIR PRIVATE LIVES – SOME REFUSED TO COOPERATE WITH THE SELECTIVE SERVICE AND WERE COURT MARTIALED AND PUT IN PRISON – 12% OF MEN WHO RECEIVED DRAFT NOTICES NEVER RESPONDED TO THEM

• TO TRY TO STOP THE OPPOSITION THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD TO DO THINGS THAT TRESPASSED ON INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS – PEOPLE WHOSE MORAL OR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS FORBID THEM TO FIGHT IN WARS – ALVIN C. YORK

•WOMEN’S PEACE PARTY – AMERICAN FEMINISTS LIKE JANE ADDAMS OPPOSED THE WAR AND JOINED OTHERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO FORM 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 WAR

RESULTS OF OPPOSITION

THE GOVERNMENT HAD A DIFFICULT PATH BETWEEN RESPECTING AND RESTRICTING INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

• JUNE 1917 – CONGRESS PASSED THE ESPIONAGE ACT WHICH:

• ALLOWED POSTAL AUTHORITIES TO BAN TREASONABLE OR SEDITIOUS NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES OR PRINTED MATERIALS FROM THE MAIL

• ENACTED SEVERE PENALTIES FOR ANYONE ENGAGED IN DISLOYAL OR TREASONABLE ACTIVITIES

• ANYONE CAUGHT INTERFERING WITH THE WAR EFFORT COULD BE PUNISHED WITH A FINE AND PRISON

• CONGRESS ALSO PASSED THE SEDITION ACT – WHICH MADE IT ILLEGAL TO USE “DISLOYAL, PROFANE, SCURRILIOUS OR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE” ABOUT THE AMERICAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT, THE CONSTITUTION OR THE MILITARY FORCES

GOVERNMENT USED THE SEDITION ACT TO PROSECUTE EUGENE V. DEBS – THE LEADER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIALIST PARTY – FOR GIVING AN ANTI-WAR SPEECH AT A SOCIALIST CONVENTION – WAS SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON

SUPREME COURT CASE – SCHENCK V. UNITED STATES – UPHELD THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE SEDITION ACT – COURT SAID THERE TIMES WHEN THE NEED FOR PUBLIC ORDER IS SO PRESSING THAT FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS OF SPEECH DO NOT APPLY (PAGE 300)

PREJUDICE AGAINST GERMAN AMERICANS• GERMAN AMERICANS WERE TREATED HARSHLY DURING THE WAR – AMERICANS REGARDED GERMANY AS THE MAIN ENEMY AMONG THE CENTRAL POWERS – BELIEVED IF GERMANY WAS CRUEL THEN ALL GERMAN PEOPLE WERE CRUEL

• AMERICANS STOPPED TEACHING GERMAN IN PUBLIC SCHOOL AND DISCONTINUED LISTENING TO GERMAN COMPOSERS

• GERMAN AMERICANS WERE FORCED TO PROVE THEIR LOYALTIES TO AMERICA BY:

1.CONDEMNING THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT 2.GIVING UP SPEAKING GERMAN 3.NO LONGER READING GERMAN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS 4.PARTICIPATING IN AMERICAN PATRIOTIC DRIVES

• MANY GERMAN AMERICANS WERE HARASSED, BEATEN AND SOME WERE KILLED BECAUSE THEY WERE BORN IN GERMANY OR SPOKE WITH A GERMAN ACCENT

WAR CHANGES AMERICAN SOCIETY

• WAR BROUGHT NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, AFRICAN AMERICANS AND MEXICAN AMERICANS

• MANY WOMEN BEGAN WORKING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN JOBS VACATED BY MEN WHO WENT TO WAR – MANY ALSO JOINED THE RED CROSS AND THE ARMY CORPS OF NURSES AND WENT OVERSEAS

• MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS ENLISTED OR WERE DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY – THEY FOUGHT IN SEGREGATED UNITS LED BY WHITE OFFICERS – MANY ALSO MOVED NORTH FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES – CALLED THE GREAT MIGRATION – ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POPULATION SHIFTS IN U.S. HISTORY – BETWEEN 1910 AND 1920 – MORE THAN ONE MILLION AFRICAN AMERICANS MOVED NORTH

• MEXICANS MOVED NORTH FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL – WORKED ON FARMS OR LARGE RANCHES – MOST ENDED UP IN CALIFORNIA AND FORMED BARRIOS – HISPANIC NEIGHBORHOODS IN LOS ANGELES AND OTHER CITIES IN CALIFORNIA’S IMPERIAL VALLEY