Home Front in World War I

Objectives Find out how the United States quickly prepared for entry into World War I. Learn what measures the government took to control the wartime economy. Discover how the need to build support for the war sometimes clashed with civil liberties.

Terms and People mobilize – to prepare for war Jeannette Rankin – Representative of Montana and the first woman elected to Congress illiterate – unable to read and write Herbert Hoover – head of the Food Administration during World War I Eugene V. Debs – labor leader jailed for criticizing the war effort

What steps did the United States government take to prepare the nation for war? In 1917, the United States had to mobilize for war. It faced enormous challenges. Increasing the size of its army Managing agriculture and industry Shaping public opinion of the war

U.S. Army Selective Service Women Diversity The United States took several steps to increase the size of its army, only the sixteenth largest in the world. U.S. Army Selective Service All men ages 21–30 had to register for the draft. Women More than 30,000 women volunteered for service. Diversity Native Americans and African Americans served.

Many served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. Women were not drafted, but they served the U.S. military in other ways. Many served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. Others performed clerical work. They were the first women to hold U.S. military rank.

Leading women were divided over the war. Against the War For the War The Women’s Peace Party spoke out for peace. Suffragists such as Carrie Chapman Catt hoped that women’s wartime service would win them the vote. Jeannette Rankin, the first congresswoman in U.S. history, voted against Wilson’s war resolution.

Children of Immigrants The military reflected the increasingly diverse makeup of the United States. Mexican Americans African Americans Children of Immigrants Native Americans Italian Americans Filipino Americans Native Americans were not citizens, but many volunteered for service.

They were placed in all-black units. 380,000 African Americans served during the war. But African American soldiers still faced discrimination. They were placed in all-black units. Most were confined to noncombat duties.

The military served as an educator for many American men. One in four draftees were illiterate. Recruits learned how to fight and how to read. Some were not used to daily meals, baths, or indoor plumbing. The military taught them about nutrition and hygiene.

The United States also had to reshape its economy The United States also had to reshape its economy. Agriculture and industry mobilized for war. Herbert Hoover headed the new Food Administration. He provided food supplies for civilians and troops. He urged Americans to conserve food and plant “victory gardens.”

The war greatly increased demands on American industries. The government had to fill huge orders for the military. Businesses needed workers to fill the spots left by soldiers. President Wilson set up the War Industries Board to oversee war production. Women and African Americans took jobs that were previously denied them.

Americans were able to increase production and meet the new demands of the wartime economy.

The government worked to raise support for the war. pro-war posters patriotic speeches in public places appeals by movie stars to buy Liberty Bonds and Savings Stamps

The government also took stern measures to suppress criticism of the war. The Espionage Act (1917) and the Sedition Act (1918) made it illegal to criticize the government. People such as labor leader Eugene Debs were jailed for speaking out against the war effort. The American Protective League opened people’s mail, tapped phones, and pried into medical records.

Many German Americans suffered as America became gripped by anti-German hysteria. German Americans were harassed and assaulted. Some schools stopped teaching German. People started referring to sauerkraut as “liberty cabbage” and German measles as “liberty measles.”