1. The War at Home - WWI

2. Mobilization Means getting ready for war
American industry expands to meet the need for weapons & supplies
Caused a labor shortage
Men went to war
Women
Minorities migrated to North from South

3. Paying for War Cost U.S. 32 billion dollars
Gov’t got money from selling war bonds (called Liberty Bonds)
Gov’t used posters to help the sale
Increased taxes, especially on the wealthy

4. An army marches on its stomach
U.S. needed to produce food for itself and its Allies.
Propaganda to support food for troops
“Wheatless Mondays”
“Meatless Thursdays”
Porkless Thursdays”
Planting a Victory Garden
“Use all leftovers”
Posters & campaigns urged Americans to conserve food

5. Propaganda Committee on Public Information
Job was to persuade Americans that the war represented a battle for democracy & freedom.

10. Taking a Break to Review

11. Causes & Effects of WWI Causes Effects Nationalistic Pride
Competition for Colonies
Military Buildup
Secret alliances
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Effects
Destruction in Europe
Boom in U.S. economy
Suppression of dissent in U.S.
Allied Victory
Defeated Empires lose their colonies

12. And back to the regularly scheduled program…
U.S. Gov’t stifled any dissent (opposition to the war or other policies) in the interest of national unity.
Led to racial differences (under wraps)
Americans became intolerant of “others”

13. Great Migration
between 300,000 – 500,000 African Americans moved from rural South to industrial cities in the North.
Escaping economic difficulties
Thought they were going to “the promised land”
Black neighborhoods butting up against white neighborhoods causes racial conflict
Riot in 1917 in East St. Louis, white mob burned thousands of African American homes & killed 40

14. Controlling Public Opinion
Some Americans didn’t agree with the war & some sided with the “Central Powers”
Socialists – thought business should not be privately owned
Why would they oppose the war?
Pacifists – opposed the use of violence
Women’s groups

15. Controlling public Opinion
Espionage Act
Stiff penalties for spying (espionage), aiding the enemy or interfering with army recruiting (What if you tore down “Uncle Sam recruiting posters?)
Sabotage & Sedition Acts – 1918
Harsher penalties
Made it a crime to say, write or print anything that went against the government
Acts considered sabotage – secret action to damage the war effort

16. Effects of Acts Paranoia (History repeats with McCarthy in 1950’s)
People started to suspect Americans of German ancestry or German immigrants & persecuted them
Spying on neighbors, opening their mail
Outlawing German music & teaching the German language
Many German Americans concealed their identities
Changing “sauerkraut” to liberty cabbage & “frankfurter” to liberty sausage
Scapegoating – way for government to quash labor leaders, socialists & pacifists