American Involvement in WWI

Part 1: The Homefront

Wartime Economics, and Restrictions of Speech

“He Kept Us Out of War”(but not for long)

1916 Pres. Election: Wilson won on a platform of peace.

Wilson’s Wartime America:• Government Control of the Economy:>>*gov. increased production of factories & farms*

^(will be on test)>>1917 Lever Food and Fuel Act (also called the Food and Fuel Control Act)-It gave Wilson and Congress near total control of economy.

-Food Administration created-Railroad Administration created-War Industries Board created

• Selective Service Act: (created the draft)• Espionage and Sedition Act:-censored media & outlawed anti-war practices/speech

Herbert Hoover and Wartime Food Supply • US Food Administration – established by Wilson in Aug. 1917• Hoover - Food Administration Director (and future Pres.) (R) -appointed by Wilson, and given power by the Lever

Food and Fuel Act to regulate the food supply• propaganda campaign slogan: “Food Will Win the War”• “Meatless Mondays, and Wheatless Wednesdays”

• Food Administration Grain Corporation: -primary purpose: to stabilize the

price of wheat in the US market, and ensure that the Allied militaries had a steady wheat supply

-promoted cornmeal for use by citizens, since it was harder to ship overseas

The WIB and The Railroad Administration• War Industries Board:

-prioritized the delivery of raw materials to war-related industries first (ex: steel was used to produce guns first, instead of being used to make inner linings for corsets)

• Railroad Administration: -during the winter of 1917, harsh blizzard conditions and poor organization between companies caused the US railroads to be badly gridlocked-in response, the Railroad Administration was created-it gave the gov. control over the railroads, in order to ensure that war supplies were delivered on time

Selective Service System (Draft)• Selective Service Act of 1917:>Created the Selective Service System: By August of 1917, all men ages 18 - 45 had to register for possible call to military service.>“conscientious objectors”: religious pacifists who were exempt from the draft. Examples: Amish, Quakers, etc.>Millions of Americans registered

for the draft, & ~two million American soldiers actually went to Europe during WWI.

Declaration of War video (Wilson, Pershing, draft):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP_zPq7N4_c

Espionage Act & Sedition Act• The Espionage Act of 1917 (page 606):

>meant to help find Central Powers spies, and censor war info

>*censored mail and forms of media (this will be on test)*

>made it illegal to encourage mutiny or obstruct recruitment

>discriminated against people of Central Powers heritage

• Sedition Act of 1918:

>*extension of the Espionage Act*

>made it illegal to criticize the war effort>objectors to US involvement in WWI could be put in jail

Imprisonment of Eugene V. Debs• Debs had been on Wilson’s enemy list ever since the 1912

election season. (Debs was the candidate for Socialist Party)-Debs openly opposed US involvement in WWI, and

often criticized Wilson.• June 1918, Ohio – he made a speech against the draft and

was arrested for sedition.

• Sentenced to 10 years in prison, but was pardoned in 1921.

• Ran for President while in jail in 1920, and got 6% of the vote.

Shenck v. United States (1918)• Charles T. Schenck and Elizabeth Baer were leaders of the

Socialist Party in Philadelphia.>>They mailed pamphlets to US draftees, trying to

convince them to oppose the war.>>They were charged with conspiracy to violate the

Espionage Act and Sedition Act, by attempting to cause mutiny in the army, and obstructing recruitment.

(Schenck)• Supreme Court Case:>>his defense argued that he had protection of speech under the 1st Amendment.>>The Supreme Court voted 9-0 against him, claiming that speech during “wartime” was subject to different standards.>>Schenck got 6 months in Jail, and Baer got 3 months in jail.

• War bonds: are debt securities issued by a government for citizen purchase, in order to finance military operations and other expenses in times of war.>>the buyer of the bond would be paid-back with a greater amount after the war was over.• Liberty Bonds – were the

US version, created during WWI

• US propaganda: “Destroy this Mad Brute”-page 607

-page 607

Created in 1917!

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic• Called the “Spanish Flu”, because the first majorly-publicized

outbreak was in Spain.-King Alfonso XIII of Spain nearly died from it-it can actually be traced back to Fort Riley and Fort

Funston in Kansas, which were army training camps-US troops helped spread the disease to Europe

• It killed millions of people worldwide, and about 500,000 Americans (citizens and soldiers) died from it.

-the Flu killed more American soldiers than enemy weapons did, and weakened US forces at Argonne.

*it killed more people worldwide in total, than died in WWI*

Rockefeller University and Richard Shope• Rockefeller (Medical) University in New York City:-founded in 1901 by oil man John D. Rockefeller as a charity-Germany had the best medical science, and America was pretty far behind, but the Rockefeller University helped improve the nation’s medical standards.-during the 1918 flu, Rockefeller U. doctors worked hard to research the flu – gaining helpful knowledge for the future• Richard Shope:>>doctor at Rockefeller University>>In 1931, he discovered that the flu was caused by a virus, and worked with British scientists to discover that it was the same disease as 1918 flu.

Rockefeller University Today (Image)• flu clip: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx748gLo_Ks

Part 2: America in the War, and the Results of World War I

The AEF (American Expeditionary Force)• -were the United States armed forces sent to Europe in WWI.

served: May, 1917-1919.• “doughboys” – nickname for American ground troops; it

came from the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), when US soldiers were covered in dust from marching through northern Mexico.

>>By 1918, the AEF consisted of a little over 1 million men. (due to draft)

>>Over 50,000 would die during the war (1/4th of them).

General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing• Pershing’s history of service:-graduated from West Point-fought in (US) Indian Wars-fought in battle of San Juan Hill-fought against Filipino rebels-killed many of Pancho Villa’s bandits in Mexico• Leader of the AEF:-enforced strict training for US troops-insisted that the US troops fight as their own group, instead of being used as replacements for French and Brits

Field Marshall Ferdinand Foch• French general• “Supreme Commander of

the Allied Armies”• General Pershing technically

worked for him.

Foch (left)

-with-

Pershing (right)

US Forces Halt German Advance on Paris• German 1918 Spring Offensive:>>Treaty of Brest-Litovsk 1918: The new communist government (Bolsheviks) in Russia signed a peace treaty with the German Empire.>>With peace on the Eastern Front, and unrestricted U-boats attacking Allied supply ships, the Germans regained power on the Western Front.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTK0gywjGUY (video about German leaders launching Spring Offensive)

>>In March of 1918, the Germans broke through the Western Front lines, and were about to reach Paris.US Forces Arrive To Help:>>The Germans didn’t expect General Pershing and the AEF troops, who showed-up in time to help defend Paris.>>Spring/Summer US-Involved Battles in Northern France: -(battles of) Cantigny, Belleau Wood, and Chateau-Thierry-page 612 (war map)

Battle of Belleau Wood (June, 1918)

WWI Warzone Map

Battle of St. Mihiel• Battle of St. Mihiel (September 12th-16th, 1918)>>(US victory) Fought several miles southeast of the Argonne Forest, it reduced the German “salient” (bulge in the lines), and weakened German defense in the Meuse-Argonne region. (northeastern France)US forces: >>550,000 AEF troops led by General Pershing.

French forces:>>48,000 French Army troops also under the command of Pershing.

Battle of the Argonne Forest

• (26 September – 11 November 1918) Challenges:>very steep hilly terrain, and dense forest>Germany had fortified it heavily: many miles of barbed wire, concrete walls, pit traps, and machine gun nests.• US forces:>General Pershing and the AEF: in all, total of 1.2 million US soldiers, and 40,000 US artillery cannons fought in Argonne.

>Many US soldiers were killed, but the US was able to break through the German lines. It is seen as one of the turning points of the Great War.

*Total US deaths in WWI: ~117,000 (more than half by flu)• US military action in WWI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a3bqhgTCIg

Famous Pic: US Troops in Argonne with Maxim Gun

Alvin C. York• Conscientious Objector:-deeply Christian, he opposed the idea of killing-drafted at age 29, and decided to fight anyway• Heroism at the Battle of Argonne Forest:-killed 25 German soldiers-took 132 Germans as prisoners-was awarded the Medal of Honor-2006 forensics proved his story true• Movie - “Sargent York”:-movie about his military career-used as propaganda during WWIIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KftgevurO7s

Armistice Day• armistice – an agreement to a cease-fire.• Armistice of the Great War: Signed between the

Allies and Central Powers in Compiègne, France.-took effect on November 11th, 1918, at 11am.-11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month*”all was quiet on the Western Front”*• In the US, it is celebrated as Veteran’s Day,

which honors all veterans living or dead.

• Other nations celebrate it as some type of holiday for honoring dead soldiers.

-US Memorial Day: in late May (it changes)

Wilson’s 14 Points (Policy and Document)• Wilson expanded the US aims of the war from just

defending “freedom of the seas” to a higher goal of “making the world safe for democracy”.

• Main Ideas of the 14 Points (US War Goals):>>no more secret diplomacy between nations>>freedom of the seas, except in territorial waters>>removal of trade barriers between nations>>creation of (what was to be) The League of Nations>>independence for various European ethnic groups

-Polish, Czech-Slovak, Balkans region, etc.-idea of SELF DETERMINATION

The Treaty of Versailles (1919)• Signed on June 28th, 1919, in Versailles, France. -page 615• “Big 4” author nations of the Versailles Treaty:-the US, Great Britain, France, and Italy-*Russia was left-out because it was ruled by communists.*• Conditions of the Treaty (for Austria and The Ottomans):>Austro-Hungarian Empire broken-up into smaller nations.

-Czechoslovakia formed-Yugoslavia formed

>Ottoman Empire broken-up: -Turkey formed

(Modern-day Turkey map)

Treaty of Versailles (cont.)• Conditions of the Treaty (for Germany):>Germany lost territory in France and in the east:

-Alsace-Lorraine territory returned to France-Poland formed-page 617: territory lost map

>War Guilt Clause: caused Germany to have sole responsibility for the war, lose its navy, greatly reduce its land army, and Germany had to pay billions in reparations.-Wilhelm II overthrown, German Republic formed• WWI Aftermath summary video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ-T--Z4oEc

League of Nations• *Created by the Treaty of Versailles*, with the

urging of Wilson and his administration. -Pg. 616• The League was and organization of (Mostly

European) nations formed in order to: -defend each-other against aggressors-prevent future wars, by using diplomacy and negotiation-it was the precursor to the United Nations today

-League of Nations video (show after next slide):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdHA5uT9ocg

Lodge(R) vs. Wilson(D) over The League• Wilson argued that the US joining the League of Nations

would help prevent future wars.• Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and other Republicans in

Congress argued that it would drag the US into unnecessary commitments, and limit America’s ability to act independently.

• In the end, the US:

-rejected the Treaty of Versailles

-refused to join the League of Nations

-became more isolationist

WWI Leads to Future Conflicts?• The Treaty of Versailles is said to have led to the rise of

more nationalism, and a desire for revenge in Germany.

(show last)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKzZ1OwPXgk

• Italy was angered by the refusal of the others to give it former Austrian territory.

• Japan was angered by the lack of protection for non-white nations in the Treaty.