SECTION 3

The War at Home

Organizing Industry

Congress created special boards to coordinate mobilization of the economy

Government didn’t control the economy, instead these boards did, emphasizing cooperation between big business and government

Goal was to ensure most efficient use of national resources to further the war effort

The War Industries Board

War Industries Board (WIB)- job was to coordinate the production of war materials

President Wilson didn’t give the WIB authority over the economy at first, but by March 1918 he decided industrial production needed better coordination

Bernard Baruch was appointed to run itWIB told manufacturers what they could and

could not produceControlled the flow of raw materials, ordered the

construction of new factories, and occasionally set prices, with Wilson’s approval

Food Administration

Read this sectionUnderstand the Food AdministrationVictory gardensDaylight savings time

Selling the War and War Financing

Read this sectionUnderstand how the government planned to

pay for the warLiberty and Victory Bonds

Liberty Bonds

Victory Bonds

Women Support Industry

The war increased working opportunities for women

Filled industrial jobs that were vacated by men serving in the military

War-generated changed for women were not permanent

When men returned after the war women returned to their previous job or stopped working

Great Migration

With the flow of immigrants from Europe cut off and large numbers of white workers being drafted, the war opened new doors for African Americans

Thousands of African Americans flocked to factory vacancies

300,000-500,000 African Americans fled the Southern cities moving to Northern cities, the Great Migration

Altered racial makeup of Chicago New York Cleveland Detroit

Selling the War

George Creel was in charge of selling the war to the people

He was the head of the Committee of Public Information CPI

He recruited advertising executives, commercial artists, authors, songwriters, entertainers, public speakers and motion picture companies to sway public opinion in favor of war

Civil Liberties

Espionage- spying to acquire secret government information

Espionage Act of 1917- established penalties and prison terms for anyone who gave aid to the enemy Penalized disloyalty, giving false reports, or otherwise

interfering with the war effortPost Office even hired college professors to

translate foreign periodicals to find out if they contained antiwar messages

Sedition Act 1918- further expanded the Espionage Act, allowing officials to prosecute anyone who criticized the president or the government