Season 2/Episode 12: The Great War - The U.S. at Home and Abroad

Once Congress declared war, President Wilson quickly created the Committee on Public Information under the direction of George Creel. Creel used every possible medium imaginable to raise American consciousness. Creel organized rallies and parades. He commissioned George M. Cohen to write patriotic songs intended to stoke the fires of American nationalism. Indeed, "Over There" became an overnight stand. James Montgomery Flagg illustrated dozens of posters urging Americans to do everything, from preserving coal, to enlisting in the service. Flagg famously depicted a serious Uncle Sam, staring at young American men, declaring, "I want you for the U.S. Army." His powerful images were hard to resist. An army of four-minute men swept the nation, making short but poignant powerful speeches, films and plays added to the fervor. The Creel Committee effectively raised national spirit and engaged millions of Americans in the business of winning the war. But not all would buy into this propaganda. Welcome to another episode of Print the Legend, an AP U.S. History podcast where we look at the stories that made up America and the stories that America made up. I'm your host, Mr. Nassosi, and in part two of our three-part series of the First World War, we'll take a look at how America fought the war on two fronts, both at home and in Europe. And in part three of our series, we'll take a look at the role Wilson played in bringing about a temporary peace in Europe through his Treaty of Versailles. The first problem was raising the necessary number of troops. Recruitment was, of course, the preferred method, but the needed numbers could not be reached simply with volunteers. Conscription was unavoidable, so Congress passed the Selective Service Act in May of 1917. All mails between the ages of 21 and 30 were required to register for military service. The last time a draft had been used resulted in great rioting because of the ability of the wealthy to purchase exemptions. This time, the draft was conducted by random lottery. By the end of the war, over four and a half million American men and 11,000 American women served in the armed forces. 400,000 African Americans were called into active duty as well. In all, 2 million Americans fought in the French trenches. The first military measures adopted by the United States were on the seas. Joint Anglo-American operations were highly successful at stopping the dreaded German submarine. Following the thinking that there is a greater strength in numbers, the U.S. and Britain developed an elaborate convoy system to protect vulnerable ships. In addition, mines were placed in many areas formally dominated by German U-boats. The campaign was so effective that not a single American soldier was lost on the high seas in transit to the Western Front. The American Expeditionary Force began arriving in France in June 1917, but the original numbers were quite small. Time was necessary to inflate the ranks of the United States Army and to provide at least a rudimentary training program. The timing was indeed critical. When the Bolsheviks took over Russia in 1917 in a domestic revolution, Germany signed a peace treaty with the new government. The Germans could now afford to transfer many of their soldiers fighting in the east to the deadlocked Western Front. Were it not for the fresh supply of incoming American troops, the war might have followed a very different path. The addition of the United States to the Allied effort was as elevating to the Allied morale as it was devastating to the German will. Refusing to submit to the overall Allied commander, General John Pershing retained independent American control over the U.S. troops. The First World War was a total war. See, in previous wars, the civilian population tried to steer clear of the war effort. It was just a military operation. Surely expectations were placed on civilians for food and clothing, and of course, since the 19th century, troops were conscripted from the general population. But modern communication and warfare required an all-out effort from the entire population. New weapons technology required access to fuel and industrial capacity. The economic cost of the 20th century warfare dwarfed earlier wars, therefore extensive revenue must be raised. Without the support of the whole population, failure was certain. Governments used every new communication and technology possible to spread pro-war propaganda on both sides. And aside from Kriel's Committee on Public Information, there were still dissenters. The American Socialist Party condemned the war effort. Irish Americans often displayed contempt for the British ally. Millions of immigrants from Germany and Austria-Hungary were forced to support initiatives that could destroy their parent homelands. But this dissent was rather small. But nevertheless, the government stifled wartime opposition by law with the passing of the espionage and sedition acts of 1917. Anyone found guilty of criticizing the government's war policy or hindering wartime directives could be sent to jail. Many cried that this was a flagrant violation of precious civil liberties, including the First Amendment right to free speech. The Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision on the issue in Schenck v. the United States. The majority court opinion ruled that should an individual's free speech present "a clear and present danger" to others, the government could impose restrictions or penalties. Schenck was arrested for sabotaging the draft. The court ruled that his behavior endangered thousands of American lives and upheld his jail sentence. Socialist party leader Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned and later ran for president from his jail cell in 1920. Interestingly enough, he polled nearly a million votes. There was a sinister side to the war hysteria. Many Americans could not discern between enemies abroad and enemies at home. German Americans became targets for countless hate crimes and on a local level school children were pummeled on school guards and yellow paint was splashed on front doors. One German American was lynched by a mob in Illinois, only to be found innocent by a sympathetic jury. Colleges and high schools stopped teaching the German language. The city of Cincinnati get this, banned pretzels, and esteemed city orchestras refused to play music by German composers. Hamburgers, Sauerkraut, and Frankfurters became known as Liberty Meat, Liberty Cabbage, and Hot Dogs. The Temperance Movement received a boost by linking beer to support with Germany. These undeserved crimes against innocent German Americans went completely unpunished. One supporter, bullied by the Edison Military Band. Once support for the war was in full swing, the population was mobilized to produce war material. In 1917, the War Industries Board was established to coordinate production of munitions and supplies. The board was empowered to allocate raw materials and determine what products would be given the highest priority. Women shifted jobs from domestic service to heavy industry to compensate for the male labor shortage. African Americans flocked north in greater and greater numbers in hopes of winning some of those precious industry jobs. Herbert Hoover, later to become president, was appointed to the head of the Food Administration. This was another way that the United States could help the war effort. Shortages of food in the Allied countries had led to shortages and rationing all across Western Europe. And so Hoover decided upon a plan that would raise the necessary food stuffs by voluntary means. Americans were encouraged to participate in Meatless Mondays, or Wheatless Wednesdays. Additional food could be raised by planting victory gardens in small backyard patches or even in window boxes on fire escapes in the big city. President Wilson showed his support by allowing a flock of sheep to graze on the White House lawn. And similar measures were employed by the Fuel Administration. The government adopted daylight savings time to conserve on energy. World War I was the most expensive endeavor by the United States to date. The total cost of the American public amounted to over $110 billion. And again, that's back in 1917. Five successful Liberty Bond drives raised about two-thirds of that sum. And of course, bonds are loans to be paid by future generations. The first income tax under the 16th Amendment was levied. The tax rate at the top level was 70 percent. All in all, great sacrifices were made on behalf of the United States people in their venture to make the world safe for what Wilson called "safe for democracy." As the war drew to a close, Woodrow Wilson set forth his plan for a just peace. Wilson believed that fundamental flaws in international relations created an unhealthy climate that led inexorably to World War. His 14 points outlined his vision for a safer world. Wilson called for an end to secret diplomacy, a reduction of armaments, and freedom of the seas. He claimed that reductions to trade barriers, fair adjustments of colonies, and respect for national self-determination would reduce economic and national sentiments that often lead to war. Finally, Wilson proposed an international organization comprising representatives of all of the world's nations that would serve as a forum against allowing any conflict to escalate. Unfortunately, Wilson could not impose his worldview on the victorious Allied powers, and when they met in Paris to hammer out the terms of the peace, the European leaders had other ideas. And that concludes part two of our three-part series of the First World War, America fighting two fronts, both at home and in Europe. Coming up in part three of our series, we'll take a look at the Paris Peace Conference and how the rules and the stipulations placed in that conference help set the stage for round two, a Second World War. I'm Mr. Nisosi, and I thank you for joining us for this episode of Print the Legend, a podcast for US history students where we take a look at the stories that made up America and the stories that America made up. In the meantime, keep learning, and we'll see you right back here for part three. In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow between the crosses row on row that mark our place. And in the sky, the larks still bravely singing fly, scarce herd amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago, we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved, and were loved. And now we lie in Flanders Fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe to you. From failing hands, we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.