19.2 THE HOME FRONT

MAIN IDEA: To successfully fight the war, the United

States had to mobilize the entire

nation.

To fight the war, the federal government created new agencies to mobilize the economy, draft soldiers, and build public support.

THE HOME FRONT- MILITARY & INDUSTRY BUILDING UP THE MILITARY

Need for soldiers: conscription selective service

ORGANIZING INDUSTRY Cooperation between government & big

business efficient use of resources War Industries Board headed by Bernard

Baruch Victory gardens & daylight savings time Victory bonds & liberty bonds sold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBlwLnfzRus

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE WAR 400,000 drafted, 42,000 served overseas as combat troops Encountered discrimination & prejudice in the amry

Segregated units under white officers Many fought with distinction in the war

Ex: 92nd & 93rd Infantry Divisions fought along Western Front & praised by U.S. commander General Pershing

Ex: the entire 369th Infantry Division won the highly prized French decoration, the Croix de Guerre (“war cross”) for gallantry in combat

THE HOME FRONT –MOBILIZATION &

SUPPORT MOBILIZING THE WORKFORCE

National War Labor Board – prevent strikes

“Great Migration” of African Americans

ENSURING PUBLIC SUPPORT Committee on Public Information Espionage -> Espionage Act of 1917 &

Sedition Act of 1918 Schenck v. the United States (1919)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=722ltkjl2y0

REVIEW: US Home Front: WWI US not prepared in 1917. US needed the 3 M’s: men (soldiers), materials, and money!!!

Selective Service Act 1917- (draft): Although many men volunteered to serve in the war, there was still a shortage. In response, the government created a conscription (forced military service) system that required all men from 21-30 to register for the draft. A lottery would then select the draftees. Approximately 2.8 million men were drafted for WWI.

War Industries Board (WIB)- A government agency set up to coordinate the production of war materials. It controlled the flow of war materials, ordered the construction of new factories important for war supplies, and occasionally set prices.

National War Labor Board- made sure that disputes between workers and bosses did not disrupt war production. Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds to pay for the war. The US needed money to pay for the soldiers, the factories, and

the materials. They used a bond system: Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds. Americans would buy the bond, like a mini-loan to the US government, and would be able to redeem it later for more than it was worth.

Fuel Administration- to conserve energy, such as coal and oil, for the war. Daylight savings, shortening hours of factories that made non-essentials, Heatless Mondays.

Food Administration- to conserve food for soldiers. Victory Gardens, Meatless Mondays, Wheatless Wednesdays, etc.

The Committee on Public Information was responsible for “selling” the war to Americans. Their job was to create propaganda (music, movies, artists) to sway public opinion in support of the war.

PUNISHING OPPOSITION TO THE WAR Espionage Act: established penalties and prison term for anyone who gave aid to the enemy. The act also penalized

disloyalty. Sedition Act: made illegal any public expression in opposition of the war. In practice, it made illegal any criticism of the

president and government. These laws were upheld by the Supreme Court when they argued that government could limit free speech if speech

presented a “clear and present danger.” The Supreme Court ruled in favor of limiting free speech in the case of Schenck v. the US. “You can’t yell fire in a

crowed theatre, it puts people in danger. Therefore, you can’t speak out against the war, it puts America, and our soldiers, in danger of losing the war.

REVIEW: Minority Roles during WWI Women on the home front - for the first time women served in the armed forces, but

in non-combat positions: nurses and secretaries, mostly. Once men came back after the war, however, female employment dropped once again.

Women generally went back to their domestic roles at home, cooking and cleaning. NOTE: This is in contrast to WWII, where many women kept their jobs after the war. African Americans in the military- about 400,000 blacks were drafted. Only about

42,000 served in combat. Units were racially segregated and black soldier were always placed under white

officers. African Americans on the home front- With so many job openings at home during the

war, African Americans were able to obtain jobs they had never had the opportunity to obtain before.

The job opportunities in industrial jobs up north led to a mass migration, or “the great migration” of African Americans from the south to northern cities.