The document provides information on several key events that led the United States to enter World War 1, including the naval blockade by Britain cutting off supplies to Germany, Germany sinking passenger ships like the Lusitania without warning which killed Americans, and the intercepted Zimmerman Telegram proposing a German alliance with Mexico against the U.S. After declaring war in 1917, the U.S. mobilized its economy and workforce through agencies that rationed food, fuel, and materials for the war effort. Hundreds of thousands of African Americans migrated north for new industrial jobs during this period known as the Great Migration.

1. Bell ringer!!!!
In the United States, the main purpose of
antitrust legislation is to
A. protect the environment.
B. increase competition in business.
C. encourage the growth of monopolies.
D. strengthen the rights of workers.
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2. World War
I
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3. TN Curriculum Standards:
• 4.0- Understand the reforms and changes in
American politics that affected America and the
world during 1890s and 1930s.
• 5.0- Understand the role of the U.S. in world
affairs.
• 6.0- Understand the moral, social, and cultural
changes that occurred in the 1920s.
SPI:
7.4- Identify the causes of American involvement in
World War I.
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4. WORLD WAR I
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5. Naval Blockade
• In an attempt to starve out the Germans, the British set
up blockades. They stopped and intercepted all
merchant ships that were headed to Europe.
• They were trying to make sure that the ships weren’t
carrying contraband (goods that were prohibited from
being shipped to Germany).
• The U. S. was upset about the blockade, but Germany
was furious.
• In retaliation, Germany sent out u-boats to stop ships
from the U. S. headed to Britain and France.
• Both countries depended on the U. S. for food and
equipment, and other supplies.
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6. NAVAL BLOCKADE
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7. STARVING GERMANY
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8. WARNING!!!!!
• To their credit, Germany did announce that
they would sink without warning any ship that
was in the waters near Britain.
• The U. S. was furious about this because
Germany had signed an international
agreement that said that they would not sink
civilian ships without warning
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9. LUSITANIA
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10. THE LUSITANIA
• The British passenger ship the Lusitania entered
the war zone on May 7, 1915.
• A German submarine sunk it killing nearly 1200
passengers (128 Americans).
• -Although, Germany had issued a warning in the
newspaper about sending passenger liners into
those waters, Americans still saw it as a terrorist
attack.
• -Wilson still refused to fight. He merely issued
demands to Germany.
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12. SUSSEX PLEDGE
• Germany responded by sinking a French
passenger ship named the Sussex.
• To this, Wilson issued another warning. To
keep the U. S. from entering the war, Germany
signed the Sussex Pledge.
• It was a promise not to sink anymore
merchant ships without warning.
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13. SUSSEX
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14. ZIMMERMAN TELEGRAM
• Wilson ran for reelection and won with the
slogan “He kept us out of the war”.
• Shortly after the election, British intelligence
intercepted a telegram from Arthur Zimmermann
(German official) to a German ambassador in
Mexico.
• The telegram promised to help Mexico recover
“lost territories in Texas, New Mexico, and
Arizona in exchange for helping Germany fight
against the U. S.
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15. ZIMMERMAN TELEGRAM
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16. ZIMMERMAN TELEGRAM
• -The message was
leaked to the American
newspapers- Americans
were furious.
• -In addition to
this, German u-boats
began sinking all ships
on sight. U. S. declared
war in April of 1917.
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17. THE HOMEFRONT
• After America decided
to enter the
war, Congress
immediately began
working on ways to
mobilize the nations
and ensure the efficient
use of natural
resources.
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18. WAR AGENCIES
• The most important agency was the War Industries
Board. They were responsible with coordinating the
production of war materials.
• They told manufacturers what they could
produce, allocated raw materials, ordered the new
construction of factories, and even occasionally set
prices.
• The most successful agency was the Food
Administration, run by Herbert Hoover. They were
responsible for increasing food production for troops
and limiting food consumption for civilians.
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19. FOOD CONSERVATION
• They encouraged families to conserve food
and grow their own gardens. These gardens
were called “victory gardens”. They instituted
other measures to save food for the troops
like Wheatless Mondays, Meatless
Tuesdays, and Porkless Thursdays.
• Another agency was the Fuel Administration.
They were responsible for managing the
amount of coal and oil that troops used.
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20. FOOD RATIONING
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21. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
• Garfield, the head of
the agency, began
daylight savings time in
order to shorten work
times for factories that
did not make war
materials.
• He pushed for Heatless
Mondays.
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22. PAYING FOR THE WAR
• To fund the war, Congress raised income taxes
and placed higher taxes on corporations.
• The government also borrowed money from the
people to pay for the war.
• Americans were encouraged to buy Liberty
Bonds and Victory Bonds. The money earned off
the bonds would go directly to the government.
• The government was supposed to repay the bond
with interest in a specified number of years.
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23. LIBERTY BONDS & VICTORY BONDS
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24. MOBILIZING THE WORKFORCE
• The government could not afford for workers to
go on strike during the war so they created the
National War Labor Board.
• They served as mediators in labor disputes to
prevent workers from striking.
• The National War Labor Board encouraged
corporations to increase worker wages, establish
an 8 hour work day, and allow workers to be a
part of unions all in order to prevent strikes.
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25. NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD
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26. WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE
• With so many men needed to fight in the
war, employers began to allow women to fill the
jobs that were traditionally thought to be men’s
jobs.
• Women worked in factories, shipyards, railroad
yards, served as police officers, mail carriers, and
train engineers.
• After the war ended, women were expected to
return to their previous jobs and roles.
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27. WORKING WOMEN WWI
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28. MINORITIES IN THE WORKFORCE
• Henry Ford, creator of the T-Model car, was so
desperate for workers that he sent agents to
the south to recruit African Americans.
• Other companies quickly followed suit. As a
result of this 300,000- 500,000 African
Americans left the south and moved North.
• This movement is known as The Great
Migration.
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29. GREAT MIGRATION
• In the South, African Americans had been
denied the right to vote. In the Northern
cities, they were extended this right.
• At this same time, Mexicans fleeing political
turmoil in their own country, also began to
migrate.
• Approximately 100,000 Mexicans moved into
the southwest between 1917-1920.
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30. THE GREAT MIGRATION
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31. MOVING NORTH
• They were able to find factory jobs in cities
like Chicago, St. Louis, and Omaha.
• Even though they were allowed to work, they
still faced a great amount of hostility and
discrimination.
• As a result of this, they tended to settle
within their own communities.
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32. THE GREAT MIGRATION
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33. COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC
INFORMATION
• This agency hired
advertisers, actors, authors, artists, songwriter
s, entertainers, public speakers, and motion
picture companies to help want to support the
war(basically, they used propaganda).
• The govt. also passed legislation to limit
speaking against the war and to prevent
espionage (spying).
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34. FIRST AMENDMENT VIOLATIONS
• The Espionage Act of 1917 made it illegal to assist the
enemy, give false reports, or interfere with the war effort.
• The Sedition Act made it illegal to speak against the war
publicly.
• These two acts made it legal for the government to
prosecute violators. More than 1000 people were
prosecuted because of this. War time fears also lead to
attacks on German Americans, labor organizers, and
socialists.
• Americans began spying on and reporting on the activities
of their neighbors and coworkers.
• Even though this contradicted with First Amendment
rights, the government permitted this behavior.
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35. Let’s Check for Understanding
• After World War I, which factor was the major
cause of the migration of many African
Americans to the North?
A. the start of the Harlem Renaissance
B. increased job opportunities in Northern cities
C. laws passed in Northern States to end racial
discrimination
D. federal government job-training programs
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36. BUILDING THE MILITARY
• A draft had to be
established to enlarge the
military. The selective
service system was
installed.
• Selective service requires
all men between 21 and
30 to register for the
draft. A lottery was held
to determine which men
would be called.
• Approximately 2.8 million
men were drafted.
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37. SEGREGATION IN THE MILITARY
• African-Americans were
drafted, but were rarely
allowed to serve in combat
positions (42,000 out of the
400,000 that were drafted).
• The ones that were allowed
to fight were praised by the
French commander and also
General Pershing.
• They also served in racially
segregated units.
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