Chapter 9 Lesson 3

Americans and the War

EQ: What were the effects of WWI on the home front?

EQ: How did the Allied Victory affect world events and attitudes?

SS5H4a

The Home Front

• American soldiers needed many things to fight World War 1. They needed ships and trucks. They needed small weapons, such as pistols, and large weapons, such as cannons. They needed uniforms, gas mask, and helmets. All of these things were provided by working Americans.

• Businesses and workers made a huge effort to support the soldiers. During the war, the U.S. produced more war supplies than any other country ever had before!

The War Effort• The government set limits on

the amount of some goods civilians could buy. – Ex. Meat

• Rations: limits on consumptions of food and goods.

• The government used propaganda to remind civilians to help with the war effort. – Propaganda: Information that is

used to shape people’s thinking. • Ex. Eat Less Posters

The War Effort

• African Americans left the south to work in northern factories. – Earned good wages– Earned respect!

Women in the Workforce

• Women made weapons, repaired cars, delivered the mail, and directed traffic.

• People changed their opinion of what women could do when they saw how well women worked in jobs that had been held by men.

inspects 40mm artillery cartridges

Women in the Workforce

• At this time, only men had suffrage, or the legal right to vote.

• The work women did convinced people that this was unfair.

• In 1919, the Senate passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. – The states approved it in

1920.• Women could now vote.

The War Ends• U.S. joined the war in 1917• The Central Powers and Allies

were exhausted from fighting for 3 years.

• 1 million American soldiers went to France.– Helped the Allies win important

battles• The Central Powers realized

that they could not win the war and signed an armistice. – An armistice is an agreement to

stop fighting.

The War Ends

• In January 1919, leaders of the Allied countries met in France to write a treaty. President Woodrow Wilson was on of those leaders.

The Treaty of Versailles

• Several European leaders blamed Germany for the fighting in Western Europe. – These Allied leaders

used the Treaty of Versailles to punish Germany.

– The Germans lost colonies, gave land to France, and paid money to Allied countries.

The Treaty of Versailles

• President Wilson did not want to punish Germany, but he supported the treaty because it created the League of Nations. – Through the League, nations

would try to solve their problems peacefully.

– Members of the League also promised to protect one another if war did start.

The Treaty of Versailles

• President Wilson asked the U.S. Senate to approve the Treaty of Versailles. – Senate refused!• The senate thought

the League of Nations might cause the U.S. to be pulled into future wars.

The Treaty of Versailles

• Many Americans were horrified by the destruction of World War I.– Some began to believe

in isolationism.• Isolationism: avoiding

economic and political relationships with other countries.

Show What You Know Time

• EQ: What were the effects of WWI on the home front?

• EQ: How did the Allied Victory affect world events and attitudes? (Hint: Treaty of Versailles)