U.S. History
Lesson 3
Congress Gives Power to Wilson
A. War Industries Board (WIB)
1. Bernard M. Baruch
a) taught companies how to mass produce
1) standardization – 5 colors instead of 150 (type ribbon)
2) set quotas for production
3) allocated materials for the U.S. govt.
b) increased production by 20%
2. Regulated RR’s, fuel, etc.
a) “gasless Sundays” & “lightless nights”
3. March 1918 – Daylight
y g Savings
g Time – use sunlight
g – not fuel.
B. War Economy
1. Wages rose during the war – but prices rose at the same rate.
2. Unions boomed! – child labor, rushed work force, etc.
3. War Labor Board – kept unions in check – “Work or Fight”
- if you didn’t work, you would be eligible for the draft.
a) WLB did work to improve conditions.
C F
C.
Food
d Ad
Administration
i i t ti
1 . 1 day/week = meatless, 1 day = sweetless, 2 days = wheatless
2. Restaurants followed the guidelines.
3. “Victory Gardens” – private and public – people grew food.
4 F
4.
Food
d shipments
hi
to the
h allies
lli tripled.
i l d
Selling the War
A. War Financing
1. U.S. spent $35.5 billion
a) increased taxes
b) sold “Victory Bonds” & “Liberty Bonds”
- “Only a friend of GER would refuse to buy bonds.”
B P
B.
Public
bli Information
I f
ti
1. propaganda - biased communication to influence one’s thoughts.
a) George Creel (former muckraker) – put in charge.
1) posters, cartoons, sculptures, etc. – promote the war.
2) pamphlets, books, etc.
Attacks on Civil Liberties
A. Anti-Immigrant Hysteria
1. GER & A-H immigrants were discriminated against.
a) lost jobs
b) orchestras boycotted GER music (Bach, Mozart, etc.)
c) towns changed their names
d) lynchings
e) changed names – “Victory Measles” – “Liberty Cabbage”
B. Espionage & Sedition Acts
1. Passed in June of 1917 – 20 yrs. in jail & $10,000 fine
for interfering
g w/ the war or speaking
p
g out against
g
it.
2. Violated the 1st Amendment
3. Lots of criticism, but it remained law.
War Encourages
g Social Change
g
A. African Americans & the War
1. Divided over the war issue.
a) W.E.B.
W E B DuBois – supported the war
b) William Monroe Trotter – “Blacks should not support at
racist govt.”
2. By
y the end,, most supported
pp
the war.
B. The Great Migration
1. Large scale movement of blacks to northern cities.
a) escape segregation in the south
b) boll weevils – destroyed cotton farms
c) job opportunities
1) Henry Ford opened the doors to Af. Am. workers - 1914
2) war created jobs
d) 100
100,000’s
000’s migrated north
C. Women in the War
1. Women again took over men’s jobs.
a) RR workers, dock workers, bricklayers, miners, etc.
2. Jane Addams – “Women’s Peace Party” – wanted peace
3. 1920 – 19th Amendment – women ggain the right
g to vote.
D. Flu Epidemic
1. Infected ¼ of the U.S. population
2 Businesses closed,
2.
closed ran out of coffins,
coffins bodies piled up.
up
3. Killed within days – even healthy people.
4. 1/3 of soldiers died of the flu – GER had the worst.
5. 500,000 Americans died – possibly 30,000,000 worldwide.