The document discusses how the United States mobilized its economy and society for World War I, including implementing the draft, encouraging food conservation, selling war bonds, and suppressing dissent through propaganda and laws limiting free speech that were later upheld by the Supreme Court. Millions of Americans served, and the war effort dramatically expanded the U.S. industrial base and economy.

1. AP
The Home Front
The “War to End All Wars”
Armies on both sides in Europe
were annihilated and spent.

2. Naval Assistance
• US aided in escorting merchant vessels across the
Atlantic, sowed antisubmarine mines in the North
Atlantic and aided the British navy in its assault
on the U boats—all with dramatic results—from
sinking over 900,000 tons of Allied ships at the
start down to about 112,00 tons.
• Many had hoped that naval assistance alone
would be all that was needed—but soon became
clear many men would need to be drafted in
order to meet the needs of war.

3. The Draft
• A new system called the Selective
Service Act run by the military would
draft all men between 21 and 30 years
of age. A lottery system would select
men to come before a draft board to be
interviewed. Eventually about 2.8
million Americans were drafted.
Approximately 2 million volunteered.
These groups became known as the
American Expeditionary Force (AEF)

4. African Americans
• Nearly 250,000 were drafted or
enlisted and about 50,000 fought
overseas. They encountered
discrimination and prejudice in the
army. They served in racially
segregated units. Despite these
challenged, many fought with
distinctions.

6. Camp Logan
• In 1917 taking advantage of the temperate
climate and newly opened Houston Ship
Channel, the War department ordered two
military installations built in Harris County—
Camp Logan and Ellington Field.
• Largest Court-martial in the history of the US
army.

7. IQ Test
• Developed by the American Psychological
Association to measure intelligence. These
tests were less accurate in measuring
intelligence than in measuring the amount of
education people had.

8. Women
• WWI was the first war in which
women officially served in the
armed forces—noncombat
positions—as clerical workers,
radio operators, electricians,
pharmacists, nurses and
photographers.

11. The War and American Society
• Mobilizing an industrial war economy required
an unprecedented amount of government
involvement in industry, agriculture and a
commitment from the people

12. Mobilizing the Civilians
• In order to increase food production while
reducing civilian consumption, the Food
Administration headed by Herbert Hoover
encouraged Americans to save food on their
own—using slogans like:
• “Food will win the war—Don’t waste it”
• Wheatless Mondays, Meatless Tuesdays
• Victory Gardens

13. Paying for the War
• War cost money—the gov. raised the money 3
ways
• Congress raised income tax rates, corporate
taxes and placed an excise tax on luxury
goods. The government also borrowed over
$20 billion from the American people and by
selling Liberty Bonds and Victory Bonds. The
US government agreed to pay back the
Americans who bought bonds plus interest.
Posters encouraged people to buy the bolds as
an act of patriotism.

17. Mobilizing the Workforce
• Bernard Baruch director of
War Industries Board had
enormous power to make
decisions.

18. • The National War Labor Board was established
to make sure labor and unions worked
together to prevent strikes

19. Social Results of the War
• Women filled industrial jobs
vacated by men serving in the
military—temporary jobs.

20. The Great Migration
• African Americans in the South
migrated North to take jobs in
factories producing war materials.
Between 300,000 and 500,000
African Americans left to settle in
cities like Chicago, New York,
Cleveland and Detroit.

22. Mexicans Head North
• Over 100,000 Mexicans migrated North into
Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico
providing labor for the farms and ranches of
the Southwest, as well as, tens of thousands
of Mexican Americans headed north to
Chicago, St. Louis and other cities to take
wartime factory jobs. Many faced hostility and
discrimination, and like many immigrants
before they settled in their own separate
neighborhoods.

23. Economic Results
• Industrial production soared
• Manufacturing activity expanded in regions
that had not had any—west coast—ship
building
• Employment increased
• Farm prices rose to their highest levels in
decades

24. Selling the War and Suppressing
Dissent

25. Spontaneous Patriotism—what does
that look like?
• Volunteering for the Red Cross
• Cheering on the President and the boys
overseas
• Prayers for the President and soldiers
• Buying war bonds
• Children saving their money to support the
war

26. • The Government was concerned with anyone
who opposed the war effort.
• The US government, when trying to balance
security and rights during times of crisis,
almost always will side with security.
• Examples: Alien and Sedition Act during
Adams administration, During the Civil War,
Lincoln suspends Habeas Corpus, the Patriot
Act during Geo. W Bush’s administration.

27. Committee on Public Information-
objective: to rally public support
• At first the CPI was committed to printing just
the facts
• Pro war Literature
• War poster
• Encouraged reporters to exercise self
censorship when reporting on the war

28. • Their tactics became more crude as the war
went on: posters painted the enemy more
savagely.
• Encouraged people to report any disloyalty
toward anyone who disagrees with the
government

29. • The Espionage Act of 1917- created penalties for
spying, sabotage or obstruction of the war effect
• The Sabotage Act and Sedition Act: made it illegal
for any public expression of opposition of the war
–it allowed the government to prosecute anyone
who criticized the president or the government.
• Eugene Debs
• Over 1,500 people were arrested for the crime of
criticizing the government

30. Who was being Targeted?
• Socialist Party
• Industrial Workers of the World
• Eugene Debs-senteced to 10 years in prison in
1918; pardoned by President Harding in 1921
• Over 1,500 people were arrested for the crime
of criticizing the government

31. Lawlessness and Violence and Spy
Groups
• Vigilante groups took the law into their own
hands and began to form groups to “root out
disloyalty”
• American Protective League
• National Security League
• The Boy Spies of America
• The American Defense Society

32. Who was Targeted
• Immigrants
• Irish Americans
• Germans
• Jews

33. Schenck v United States
• The Supreme court upheld the
constitutionality of the Espionage Act in a case
involving a man who had been imprisoned for
distributing pamphlets against the draft. In
1919, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
concluded that the right to free speech could
be limited when it represented a “clear and
present danger” to the public safety.