World War I Lesson 3: The War at Home PDF

Lesson 3: The War at Home 1. How did the power of the presidency grow as a result of WWI?* Congress gave President Wilson direct control over much of the economy. It gave him the power to fix prices and to regulate—even to nationalize—certain war-related industries. 2. Describe the actions of the...

Lesson 3: The War at Home 1. How did the power of the presidency grow as a result of WWI?* Congress gave President Wilson direct control over much of the economy. It gave him the power to fix prices and to regulate—even to nationalize—certain war-related industries. 2. Describe the actions of the War Industries Board, the National War Labor Board, the Railroad Administration, the Fuel Administration, and the Food Administration.* The War Industries Board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products. The WIB set production quotas and allocated raw materials. The National War Labor Board settled disputes between management and labor, often working to improve factory conditions. The Railroad Administration controlled the railroads. The Fuel Administration monitored coal supplies and rationed gasoline and heating oil. The Food Administration was set up to help produce and conserve food. 3. How did WWI benefit both industrialists and labor unions?* Corporate profits soared, especially in industries such as chemicals, meatpacking, oil, and steel. Union membership climbed from about 2.5 million in 1916 to more than 4 million in 1919. To settle strikes, the government pushed for an eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban. 4. How did the United States fund its efforts in WWI?* About one third of the $35.5 billion war expense was paid through taxes while the remaining two thirds came from selling war bonds (Liberty Loans and Victory Loans). 5. What was the job of the Committee on Public Information?* It was a government propaganda agency meant to popularize the war. It persuaded artists and advertising agencies to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war. It also distributed some 75 million pamphlets, booklets, and leaflets. 6. How did WWI impact German Americans?* Anti-immigrant hysteria raged. Many Americans with German names lost their jobs. Orchestras refused to play the music of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Some towns with German names changed them. Schools stopped teaching the German language, and librarians removed books by German authors from the shelves. People even resorted to violence against German Americans. Some were flogged or smeared with tar and feathers. A mob in Collinsville, Illinois, wrapped a German flag around a German-born miner named Robert Prager and lynched him. A jury cleared the mob’s leader. Finally, in a burst of anti-German fervor, Americans changed the name of German measles to “liberty measles.” Hamburger—named after the German city of Hamburg—became “Salisbury steak” or “liberty sandwich,” depending on whether you were buying it in a store or eating it in a restaurant. Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage,” and dachshunds turned into “liberty pups.” 7. What did the Espionage and Sedition Acts do?* Under the Espionage and Sedition Acts, a person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort. 8. What are the details of the Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States (1919) and what implications did the Court's ruling have for freedom of speech?* Charles Schenck, an official of the U.S. Socialist Party, distributed leaflets that called the draft a “deed against humanity” and compared conscription to slavery, urging conscripts to “assert your rights.” Schenck was convicted of sedition and sentenced to prison, but he argued that the conviction, punishment, and even the law itself violated his right to free speech. The Court decided that during times of war free speech may be limited by the government if that speech represented a danger to the public. It upheld Schenck's conviction and decided that the words in the leaflets were not protected by the right to free speech. 9. What was the Great Migration? What factors contributed to it?* The Great Migration was the large-scale movement of hundreds of thousands of southern blacks to cities in the North. Several factors contributed to the tremendous increase in black migration. First, many African Americans wanted to escape racial discrimination in the South. Discrimination made it hard for them to make a living and often threatened their lives. Also, a boll weevil infestation, aided by floods and droughts, had ruined much of the South’s cotton fields. In the North, there were more job opportunities. The outbreak of World War I and the drop in European immigration increased job opportunities for African Americans. There were jobs in steel mills, munitions plants, and stockyards. Northern manufacturers sent recruiting agents to distribute free railroad passes through the South. In addition, the publisher of the black-owned newspaper Chicago Defender bombarded southern blacks with articles contrasting Dixieland lynchings with the prosperity of African Americans in the North. 10. What impact did the war effort have on women?* Women moved into jobs that had been held exclusively by men. They became railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. They mined coal and took part in shipbuilding. At the same time, women continued to fill more traditional jobs as nurses, clerks, and teachers. Many women worked as volunteers, serving at Red Cross facilities and encouraging the sale of bonds and the planting of victory gardens. In all, about 1 million women entered the work force during World War I. After the war ended, however, most women left the jobs they had taken. Many women left by choice; others were forced to leave by employers who wanted to give the jobs to returning servicemen. 11. What was accomplished by the Nineteenth Amendment?* The right of women to vote. 12. Describe the impact of the "Spanish Flu" of 1918.* It affected about one-quarter of the U.S. population and had devastating impact on the economy with shut down of industries and a wave of deaths. The epidemic killed about 500,000 Americans before it disappeared in 1919. Historians believe that the influenza virus killed as many as 30 million people worldwide. Lesson 4: Wilson Fights for Peace 13. What were the Fourteen Points? Describe them generally, then outline the points mentioned in your ebook (in the paragraphs before the actual list).* 1. Public diplomatic negotiations and an end to secret treaties 2. Freedom of navigation on the seas 3. Free trade among nations 4. Reduction of armaments to the level needed for domestic safety 5. Fair resolution of colonial claims that arose because of the war 6. Evacuation of Russia and restoration of its conquered territories 7. Preservation of Belgium's sovereignty 8. Restoration of France's territory, including Alsace-Lorraine 9. Redrawing Italy's borders according to nationalities 10. Divide up Austria-Hungary according to nationalities 11. Redraw the borders of the Balkan states according to nationalities 12. Self-determination for Turks and other nationalities under Turkish rule 13. Creation of an independent Polish nation 14. Creation of a League of Nations President Wilson's vision for a postwar world and maintaining peace after the war. The first several points were issues that Wilson believed had to be addressed to prevent another war. He suggested banning secret agreements between nations. He proposed lower tariffs to facilitate free trade. He also called for military cutbacks and freedom of the seas. Several other points focused on the need to resolve national border disputes. His plan also proposed settlements for colonial peoples who wished to be independent. Wilson believed strongly in self-determination—the right of people to choose their own political status. He wanted groups that claimed distinct ethnic identities to be able to form their own nation-states or decide for themselves to what nations they would belong. The final point called for the creation of an international organization. Its purpose would be to address diplomatic crises like those that had sparked the war. This League of Nations would provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their differences without having to resort to war. 14. Where was the peace conference held? Who were the "Big Four"? Which nations weren't invited?* The peace conference took place in Paris (actually in a palace slightly outside Paris known as Versailles) in 1919. The "Big Four" nations that dominated the talks were the United States, Great Britain, France, and Italy. None of the Central Powers nor Russia were invited. 15. Describe the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.* The Treaty of Versailles established nine new nations—including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia. It carved areas out of the Ottoman Empire (Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Trans-Jordan, Lebanon) and gave them to France and Great Britain as mandates, or temporary colonies. Those two Allies were to administer their respective mandates until the areas were ready for self-rule and then independence. The treaty limited the German army to 100,000 men, with no tanks or heavy artillery. It also limited the German navy to 15,000 men and banned Germany from having an air force. It required Germany to return the region of Alsace-Lorraine to France. It also required Germany to surrender all colonies to the control of the League of Nations. The treaty’s war-guilt clause held Germany solely responsible for all losses and damages suffered by the Allies during the war. It also required Germany to pay reparations, or war damages, amounting to $33 billion to the Allies. 16. What did the main domestic opposition to the Treaty of Versailles dislike most?* The League of Nations, specifically the provision for joint economic and military action against aggression, even though it was voluntary. They wanted the constitutional right of Congress to declare war included in the treaty because they feared that the League threatened the U.S. foreign policy of isolationism. 17. How did Wilson react to his opposition? What became of the president and his treaty?* Wilson rejected calls for compromise by his opponents and instead set out on an 8,000-mile tour to rally support for his treaty. Wilson suffered a stroke (a ruptured blood vessel to the brain). He lay partially paralyzed for more than two months, unable to even meet with his cabinet. The Senate rejected the treaty. The United States never joined the League of Nations. However, it had an unofficial observer at League meetings.