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CH. 18-3 THE HOME FRONT

CH. 18-3 THE HOME FRONT. AMERICAN HISTORY. MOBILIZING THE ECONOMY. Going to war was an enormous and very expensive President Wilson and Congress had to figure out how to pay for it Congress passed the War Revenue Act of 1917

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CH. 18-3 THE HOME FRONT

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  1. CH. 18-3 THE HOME FRONT AMERICAN HISTORY

  2. MOBILIZING THE ECONOMY • Going to war was an enormous and very expensive • President Wilson and Congress had to figure out how to pay for it • Congress passed the War Revenue Act of 1917 • Very high taxes established and wealthy people paid 77% of their annual income • Revenue increased 400% within 2 years

  3. Government also borrowed money • National debt grew from $1.2 billion (1916) to $25.5 billion (1919) • More than $20 billion was owed to Americans who purchased Liberty Bonds • REGULATING INDUSTRY • Congress created several boards to make sure businesses were creating war supplies

  4. War Industries Board (WIB)—authority to regulate all materials needed for the war effort • Leader was Bernard Baruch • “No steel, copper, cement, rubber, or other basic materials could be used without our approval” • Industrial production increased by 20%

  5. REGULATING FOOD • Congress passed the Lever Food and Fuel Control Act • Government given the power to set prices and establish production • Americans asked to plant vegetables in “victory gardens”

  6. REGULATING FUEL • Fuel Administration established to set production goals and prices for fuel • SUPPLYING U.S. AND ALLIED TROOPS • USA became a major supplier for the Allied Powers • Great Britain alone received 1 billion rounds of ammunition, 1.2 million rifles, 0.5 million tons of explosives

  7. MOBILIZING WORKERS • Profits from corporations skyrocketed • Wages for factory workers increased as well • Laborers worked long hours and in very unsafe conditions • Harsh work conditions led many to join labor unions—60% increase 1916-1919 • 6,000 strikes during this time period

  8. NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD (1918) • Judges disputes between workers and management • Board lasted less than a year but handled 1,200 cases involving 700,000 workers • WOMEN’S WAR EFFORTS • Women moved into jobs traditionally held by men when men went to war

  9. 1 million women entered the workforce during WWI • Women left these jobs when the men returned, both voluntarily and by force • INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC ON THE HOME FRONT • Severe flu epidemic broke out 1918-1919

  10. This flu was deadly, killing people within days • Ex.—October 1918—200,000 Americans died from flu • City gatherings were canceled • 675,000 Americans killed from flu (actually bird flu transmitted directly to humans)

  11. INFLUENCING PUBLIC OPINION • President Wilson had to convince people to support the war effort • WINNING AMERICAN SUPPORT • Committee on Public Information (CPI) created PROPOGANDA—posters, newspaper stories, speeches, other items used to influence public opinion

  12. Posters created to influence public opinion (p. 603) • Anti-German feelings grew • German American loyalty was questioned • LIMITING ANTI-WAR SPEECH • Prominent Americans such as Jane Addams & Sen. Robert LaFollette spoke out against the war

  13. 1917—Congress passed the ESPIONAGE ACT • Punished people for aiding the enemy or refusing military duty • 1918—Congress passed the SEDITION ACT • Illegal for Americans to “utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal…or abusive language” criticizing the government, the flag or the military

  14. More than 1,000 people jailed under this law • Socialist Party leader Eugene V. Debs received 10 years for criticizing the US govt.’s prosecution of Americans. • Debs was released by presidential order after the war ended • Some people believed the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act violated the first amendment

  15. Schenck v. United States • Charles Schenck distributed 15,000 leaflets opposing government war policies • US Supreme Court unanimously upheld Schenck’s conviction • Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that some limits needed to be placed on speech during wartime to ensure the country’s overall safety (p. 605) • THE END

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