Mobilizing the Home Front-WWIMobilizing the Home Front-WWI

AP US HistoryEast High School

Mr. PetersonSpring 2009

Industry• Council of National Defense (1916)

– Business and labor leaders– Coordinate industrial mobilization– Little authority

• War Industries Board (1917)– Military refused to cooperate– Congressional investigation-Overman Act

• Bernard Baruch to head– Standardized products– Strict production and purchasing controls– Paid high prices– Ineffective– Most heavy equipment and munitions produced in Europe

Food• Supplied US and European allies• Bad winter 1917-1918• Lever Act

– President could control production, price, and distribution

– Food Administration• Herbert Hoover• Fixed high prices• Encourage production of wheat, pork, etc.• Encouraged conservation of food

– “Wheatless Mondays” and “Meatless Tuesday”

• Food exports tripled/farm income up 30%

Fuel

• Fuel Administration– Harry A. Garfield– Coal production and conservation– Severe winter 1917-1918– “Fueless Mondays” and “Gasless Sundays”

• Coal production increased 35%

Railroads

• United States Railroad Administration– William McAdoo, Sec. of Treasury– Take over and operate all railroads as one system– Paid owners rent for RR lines– $500 million on improvements

• Efficient railroad system

Maritime Shipping

• United States Shipping Board– Emergency Fleet Corporation

• Buy, build, lease, operate merchant ships

– Built shipyards• Just beginning to produce by end of war

• Seized German and Dutch ships– Purchased private ships– Large fleet by SEP 1918

Labor

• War Labor Board– Prevent strikes and work stoppages in war

industries– William Howard Taft and Frank Walsh– Prohibited strikes– Encouraged higher wages, eight-hour day, and

unionization

• Union membership doubled

War Finance and Taxation• $33.5 billion by 1920

– $7 billion loaned to allies

• Taxes and borrowing– Revenue Act of 1918

• Personal income tax – 6% up to $40,000– 12% over $40K

– Excess profits tax-65%– Excise taxes on luxury items– Liberty Bonds

• 100% inflation from 1915-1920

The Committee on Public Information

• George Creel• Voluntary censorship of the press• Propaganda campaign

– 150,000 paid writers, lecturers, artists, etc.– Portray Germans as barbaric

• Liberty Leagues established– Spy on neighbors– Report suspicious activity to Justice Department

War Hysteria• American Protective League

– 250,000 members– Claimed approval of Justice Dept.– Humiliated people for not buying war bonds

• Persecuted, beat, sometimes killed Germans and German-Americans

• German language instruction and music banned– German measles- “liberty measles”– Sauerkraut-“liberty cabbage”– Pretzels prohibited

"No person, individually or as a teacher, shall, in any private, denominational, parochial or public school teach any subject to any person in any language other than the English language." –Nebraska state law (1919)

"If these people are Americans, let them speak our language. If they don't know it, let them learn it. If they don't like it, let them move. . . ." –Nebraska state legislator

Espionage and Sedition Acts• Espionage Act of 1917

– Fines and imprisonment for making false statements that aided the enemy, incited rebellion, or obstructed recruitment

– Excluded seditious material from the mail– Upheld by Supreme Court-Shenk v. United States– “clear and present danger” (Oliver Wendell Holmes)– Can’t cry “fire” in a crowded thater

• Sedition Act of 1918– Forbade criticism of the government, flag, or uniform– Eugene V. Debs-10 years in prison for speech– Upheld in Abrams v. United States

• 2168 prosecuted, 1055 convicted, 10 charged with sabotage

Mobilizing the Home Front-WWIMobilizing the Home Front-WWI

AP US HistoryEast High School

Mr. PetersonSpring 2009