1. Influencing Public Opinion

2. What is Propaganda?
Different forms of communication used to persuade a group of people towards the support of one belief or another
Usually bias or misleading towards a certain way

3. Partner Activity List different types of propaganda
What are examples of propaganda you see in your every day life?
Why use propaganda?
Is propaganda a good or bad thing? Or both? Why?

4. Getting the American People to Support the War
“It is not an army that we must shape for war…it is a nation.” - Woodrow Wilson
Many Americans were in favor of neutrality, and now needed them to support war
How do you persuade people to support a war they did not want?

5. Committee on Public Information
Government agency in charge of getting American people to support war
President Wilson created to influence people’s opinions
Used lots of propaganda: posters, newspaper stories, speeches, celebrities, etc.

9. Anti-German Sentiment
People started to question German-Americans’ loyalty
Schools stopped teaching German, stopped playing German music
Discrimination/imprisoned some German-Americans

10. Don’t Talk Bad About the War
Many Americans spoke out against war
Espionage Act passed in imprisoned for helping enemy or refusing military duty
Sedition Act passed in illegal to “utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal or abusive language”

11. Espionage & Sedition Acts
Over 1,000 opponents were jailed for speaking out against the war
Director of film “The Spirit of ‘76” was jailed for 3 years
Eugene Debs, Socialist Party candidate, was sentenced to 10 years in prison- released after war
Supreme Court upheld in Schenk v. United States

12. Think-Pair-Share
Does the Espionage & Sedition Acts violate the 1st Amendment (freedom of speech)? Why or How?
Should the freedoms and liberties of Americans be restricted in any way during times of war? If so? Which freedoms and liberties and why? If not? Why not?