History Chapter 7, Section 2
In order to get people to serve in the war (join the military), what three (3) did the government do?
1. took volunteers 2. drafted men to serve 3. allowed women to help (but only in certain ways and conditions)
What were Liberty and Victory Bonds and what was the result?
To borrow money, the gov't sold bond. Raised more than $20 billion. However it raised the national debt from 1.2 billion to 25.5 billion (gov't had to pay back the $ in the war bond).
This was the first time women enrolled in the military because they were needed to fill the positions that the enlisted men will leave to now go fight. But they only served in non-combat positions. Which two branches did they serve?
Navy and Army
What did women do in the Army?
The Army refused to enlist women. Only hired women as temporary employees to fill clerical jobs. The only women to actually serve in the army were in the Army Nurse Corps - not technically enlisted in the military. Not assigned ranks but served in the U.S. and oversees
What was the War Revenue Act of 1917 and what was the result?
Very high taxes mostly on the wealthiest Americans as much as 77% of their annual incomes. It worked however, and raised revenues by 400% within 2 years.
What was the result of the efforts of the Food Administration and what the American people did to help the war?
The gov't had a surplus of food 3x the amount before the war.
Who were the "Hello Girls" ?
switchboard operators
Who ran the Food Administration?
Herbert Hoover (later a U.S. President)
How did the local draft board influence who was drafted?
Local draft boards randomly select men to draft. Because the draft boards were local (instead of big federal gov't boards) they knew the men about to be drafted and their situations - family obligations, handicaps, etc. They could choose the best possible choices so as to not make situations potentially worse for their families.
Besides the victory gardens, what two (2) other things did people do during the WEEK to help the military have food food supplies?
1. "Meatless Mondays" 2. "Wheatless Wednesdays"
African Americans, Native Amers, Puerto Ricans, Asian immigrants and Mexican Amers served in the military but they faced discrimination and were treated differently. How?
1. African Americans - - were segregated - it was thought a bad idea to train them in using weapons (fear that Afr-Amer would turn on white Amer) - only a few were actually trained for combat. 2. Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, Asian immigrants and Mexican Amers - scorned and forced to do menial tasks. - Some eager to serve but, federal gov't wanted them to learn English first and sent to training first before fighting. - However, some were granted full citizenship in return for their service
What was the Great Migration? Two (2) groups migrated for work - who were they and what kind of jobs were they doing?
1. African-Americans moved north to work in factories and change northern cities forever in terms of demographics. Henry Ford biggest influence encouraging this move (largest business owners to build vehicles for the gov't). 2. Mexicans moved into the Southwest (Amer) to help with farming and ranching.
What kinds of things did the CPI do specifically to "sell the war?"
1. Hired popular movie stars to speak on behalf of war effort 2. Hired artists to create patriotic posters and pamphlets. This included the famous image Uncle Sam pointing to the viewer and demanding "I Want You for the U.S. Army"
What did the government do to pay for all the supplies (had to pay the businesses to make stuff needed for war/soldiers)? What two (2) ways did they come up with money to fund their efforts?
1. Taxes 2. Borrowed $$ to pay for war
Name three (3) wartime agencies that were formed to help make sure the country was prepared for supplies for the war?
1. War Industries Board (WIB) 2. Food Administration 3. Fuel Administration
What were the four big things the government needed to do to make sure the military had what it needed to fight the war?
1. have enough supplies and materials 2. have money to pay for the costs of war 3. have the support of the American people 4. have people to serve and fight the war and have people to fill jobs at home when the military was gone
In order to conserve energy, what three (3) did the Fuel Administration do?
1. introduced daylight saving time, shortened workweeks for civilian goods factories 2. encouraged "Heatless Mondays" 3. encouraged "Gasless Sundays".
How were the African-Americans in the north and Mexicans in the Southwest U.S. treated?
Both groups met horrible discrimination
What was the War Industries Board (WIB) responsible for doing?
Coordinated the production of war materials. - told these industry owners what that produce - how much raw materials they could have - ordered new factory construction - sometimes set prices (since there was less product available, due to the government taking what they needed first, wanted to make sure the industry owners weren't jacking up the prices)
The American people were encouraged to distrust all things German. What happened to the German Americans? How did some of them respond?
German-Americans tried to hide their culture to avoid suspicion and/or abuse. Some even changed their names. Many German newspapers (including socialist, labor activists, and pacifists) stopped publications.
More than 2 mil men volunteered but there were some challenges when they showed for duty. What happened and what did they do?
New recruits reported for training and found almost nothing ready. - no barracks (slept in tents) - no supplies - no weapons (practiced with wooden sticks) - no horses (pretended to ride with wooden barrels)
Why was Prohibition important to the war effort?
Prohibition was urged (ban on alcohol) Alcohol is made with food crops - grapes, wheat, barley, etc. Save those food items for real food to be sent to military. This reason helped pass the Amendment for Prohibition
Women took over men's jobs since they were fighting. What kind of everyday job's did they take over while the men were gone fighting?
RR's, docks, factories, built ships and airplanes. Served as police officers, mail carriers and train engineers
Congress passed the Selective Service Act. What did this act do?
Required men between the ages 21 and 30 to register to be drafted into the armed forces. About 2.8mil men drafted.
Leaders feared that strikes and industrial protests would disrupt the war effort so they formed the NWLB. What was the National War Labor Board (NWLB) responsible for doing?
The Board judged disputes between workers and management 1. pressured the industry owners to adopt an 8 hr work day, improve wages, 2. allow unions the right to organize and bargain collectively.
What were victory gardens? Explain the purpose of the gardens and how they helped with supplies for the war.
The Food Administration encouraged families to grow victory gardens. If you are just feeding your family of 3, 4, 5 people, don't go to the store to buy your veggies and fruits. You can start your own garden and feed your family that way. Then the veggies/fruits that are produced by big farmers/businesses can go directly to the soldiers.
What was the Committee on Public Information (CPI) responsible for doing? What was the purpose of their efforts?
began national wide campaign of propaganda - posters, newspaper stories, speeches, and other materials designed to influence people's opinions. "Sell" the war to Americans - how do you get people pumped up to go without meat, heat, oil, wheat, etc... you have to make them feel great about supporting our troops!!
What did women do in the Navy?
clerical workers, radio operators, electricians, pharmacists, chemists, and photographers Naval women served as yeoman's and were given a standard issue uniform.
The military took what materials it needed first for supplies then the rest could be used for the public. What kind of materials could NOT be sold or used without government approval?
copper, steel, cement, rubber, and other materials
What was the Fuel Administration responsible for doing during the war?
managed the use of coal and oil
An estimated 1 million women entered work force - another 8 mil women switched professions during the war. When the war was over did women stay in the jobs or go home?
most returned to the home when the men returned from Europe
What was the Food Administration responsible for doing?
responsible for increasing food production while reducing civilian consumption (we eat less, and the soldiers will have more)