Exploring American History

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Exploring American History

• Unit VII- The Beginning of Modern America
• Chapter 23 Section 2
• America Prepares for War

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Americans Prepare for War

• The Big Idea
• After entering World War I in 1917, Americans
  began the massive effort of preparing for war.
• Main Ideas
• The United States entered the war after repeated
  crises with Germany.
• The United States mobilized for war by training
  troops and stepping up production of supplies.
• Labor shortages created new wartime opportunities
  for women and other Americans.

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Wilsons Peace Efforts

• In the election of 1916 his slogan had been He
  kept us out of war.
• After 1916 Wilson still tried to keep the US out
  of the war.
• He asked the European powers to declare a Peace
  without victory. But Germany announces
  unrestricted sub warfare.
• Germany felt the US would be too late even if
  they entered the war.

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Main Idea 1The United States entered the war
after repeated crises with Germany.

• The United States was initially a neutral
  country.
• Americans viewed World War I as a European
  conflict.
• America continued to trade with European nations
  during the war.
• Carried supplies and war materials to the Allies.
• Germany used U-boats to try and stop supply
  lines.
• Often attacked ships without warning
• Sometimes shot civilian targets, such as the
  British passenger liner, Lusitania

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Lusitania
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U.S. Neutrality

• Aug. 4, 1914 Wilson proclaims the neutrality of
  the United States. U.S. needs to be the model for
  world peace. U.S. more interested in competing
  for markets than killing.
• 1915 Henry Ford charters a Peace Ship to
  Stockholm, Sweden conference January 1916
• Ford, then one of the richest men in the world,
  actually thought he could talk the leaders of
  Europe into stopping World War.
• Ford believed if he could only get foreign
  leaders to sit down in a room, he could make them
  listen to reason and the war would end. Straight
  talk from a no-nonsense businessman would
  persuade where diplomatic doubletalk had failed.
• A boat of pacifists-Every crackpot and nut in
  the country wanted to get on that boat, from
  socialists, to prohibitionists, to anti-smoking
  crusaders, to pro-German partisans, and people
  from every religious splinter-group in the
  country.
• The Peace Expedition became a farce, The world
  press mocked them mercilessly. It failed.

Oskar II- Peace ship
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Ties that bind

• Allies
• U.S. spoke English language.
• U.S. Laws and customs based on English
  foundations.
• All news from Europe came through British press.
  (England had cut the trans-Atlantic cable)
  British Propaganda-atrocity stories.
• Kaiser Wilhelm had made many warlike
  (militaristic) statements.
• Trade with England and Allies was enormous. 3
  Billion
• 2 billion in loans to Allies.

• Central Powers
• Millions in US favored Central powers due to
  ancestors who had been born in Austria, Germany
  or Hungary.
• Irish Americans were glad to see anyone fight the
  British.
• US had long been trading with the Germans. But
  that dropped by 1916 from 170 million to 1
  million.

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Problem of Neutral Rights

• International Law and use of the Seas
• Neutral nations still allowed to trade with both
  sides.
• Warring nations were allowed by International Law
  to stop and inspect neutral vessels at sea.
• Warring nations could seize certain war materials
  (Contraband)- explosives, guns and ammunition.
  But not other goods.
• Before sinking a commercial ship, the attacker
  had to give warning.
• No court, or police force to make nations obey
  the law.
• Freedom of the Seas

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The Problem of Neutral Rights

• British Navy
• Blockade- Control the seas and starve Germany
  into submission
• Contraband included all sorts of goods including
  food.
• All neutral ships would be searched even those
  going to neutral countries. England would seize
  any ship bound for Germany.
• North Sea was a military are and put mines down.
• All in violation of international law.
• British would pay for all goods seized after
  America protested.

• German Submarines
• 1915- fleet of 27 subs disobeyed international
  law.
• War zone- Germany declares this around the
  British Isles.
• Unrestricted sub warfare.
• Advised all neutrals not to travel there or on
  British ships.
• Wilson insists under International law Americans
  had the right to sail on any ship. And Germany
  would be accountable for all American lives.
• 1915- Germany sinks Lusitania, then Arabic and
  Sussex passenger ships. After promising not to
  sink unarmed passenger ships without warning.

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Congress Declares War
March 1916 a U-boat attacks a French passenger
ship, the Sussex, with several American
passengers on board. German leaders agree not to
attack merchant ships without warning.
February 1917 President Wilson breaks diplomatic
relations with Germany after they again begin
attacks on non-military ships.
March 1917 Zimmermann Note is decoded revealing
German and Mexican plot to ally against the
United States.
April 1917 Congress declared war on Germany.
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Possible causes of U.S. entry

• British Propaganda and Pro-British sentiment
• Submarine Warfare
• Munitions trade and loans to Great Britain
• Zimmerman Note
• Sinking of the Lusitania

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The United States Enters World War I

• Recall- What did most Americans think about
  involvement in the war?
• Identify- State two ways the United States
  supported the war before sending troops?
• Summarize- What two incidents caused Americans to
  turn against the Germans? Why?

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Main Idea 2 The United States mobilized for war
by training troops and stepping up production of
supplies.

• Committee on Public Information formed by
  President Wilson to help persuade the public to
  support the war effort.
• Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of
  1918 limited freedoms in the United States.
• Selective Service Act was enacted in 1917 to
  prepare the U.S. military for war.
• Required men between ages 21-30 to register for
  draft.
• Almost 3 million Americans were drafted into
  service in World War I.
• Liberty bonds were issued by the government to
  help finance Allied war efforts.
• War Industries Board and Food Administration
  worked to supply the troops with materials and
  food supplies.

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Government takes control- War Industries Board

• The Overman Act of 1918 helped create the War
  Industries Board- Bernard M. Baruch in charge.
• Job- decide what goods should be produced and set
  prices for government purchases or supplies.
• During the war production went up, waste went
  down and criticism lessened.

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Mobilization of Money

• Military Expenses
• Expenses for army, navy, credit and materials for
  allies ran into billions.
• 23 billion for the U.S. war effort and 10
  billion for war loans to Allies.
• Taxes and Loans to pay the expenses.
• Increased taxes brought in 10.5 billion
• The rest came from loans from the people through
  sale of Liberty Loans and a Victory Loan.

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18
Raising Money, Conservation and Government
Controls- 221 min.
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Daylight Savings, Taxes, and Liberty Bonds 104
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The American Army

• Raising an Army
• On May 18, 1917, Congress passed the Selective
  Service Act, requiring men between 21 and 30 to
  register for a draft.
• Some asked to be classified as conscientious
  objectors, or religious people against fighting,
  but were rejected.
• In the summer of 1917, new recruits reported for
  training but found almost nothing ready.
• Soldiers slept in tents until barracks were
  built, and supplies hadnt yet arrived.
• New recruits learned military rules with sticks
  and barrels instead of rifles and horses.

• Discrimination
• African American soldiers were segregated and
  trained in separate camps.
• Many white officers and southern politicians
  feared African Americans would pose a threat
  after the war so only trained a few black
  regiments.
• Latino soldiers faced scorn from other troops and
  were often assigned menial tasks.
• The federal government, however, did accept
  non-English-speaking soldiers.
• The military had programs in New Mexico and
  Georgia to help Hispanic soldiers learn English.

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Mobilization of Men and Women

• Nation needs an army
• May 28, 1917- Selective Service Act (Draft)
• All men between 21 and 31 had to register
• No buying ones way out- 10 million were listed.
• Lottery was the fairest way to choose. Everyone
  got a number between 1 and 10,500. Numbers
  placed in a fishbowl and withdrawn enough for
  687,000 men into the army.
• 24 million men between 18-45 entered selective
  service. 3 million called into service.
• 1918- 4.8 million- enlistee, draftees, and
  national guard in armed service.

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America Joins the Ranks- 417
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Regulations to Supply U.S. and Allied Troops
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Mobilizing for War

• Recall- How did the American government assist
  the war effort?
• Identify- What foods did some Americans give up
  one day a week?
• Make Inferences- In what ways was discrimination
  present in the military?

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Main Idea 3Labor shortages created new wartime
opportunities for women and other Americans.

• Factors that led to a labor shortage in the
  United States during the war
• American factories needed new workers to meet
  huge production demands.
• The war almost completely closed immigration,
  thus cutting-off the main source of labor to
  American industry.
• Many of the young men who would normally take
  factory jobs were serving in the military.

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Womens War Efforts

• Many American women took on new roles to help the
  war effort.
• 1 million women joined the workforce.
• About 25,000 women volunteered to serve in
  non-combat positions in Europe.
• Other women protested Americas participation in
  the war.

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Labor and the War

• New job opportunities encouraged Mexican
  Americans and African Americans to move to
  northern industrial cities.
• Union membership increased.
• Workers in a better position to demand higher
  wages
• More than 4 million unionized workers went on
  strike during the war.
• National War Labor Board was established to help
  management and workers reach agreements.
• Settled more than 1,000 labor disputes
• Worked to prevent strikes

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New Wartime Opportunities

• Recall- What types of jobs did women perform in
  Europe during the war?
• Identify Cause and Effect- Name three factors
  that caused a labor shortage in the United States?

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New Wartime Opportunities

• Identify- Name two groups of people that moved
  from the West and the South to meet the increased
  demand for labor in American industrial cities?
• Evaluate- Do you think setting up the National
  War Labor Board was a good idea??