WWI - The U.S. Homefront

What are war bonds?

• A new type of military weapon.

• A government certificate sold to U.S. citizens to help the war effort.

• A promise to support allies during WWI.

• A peace treaty.

War bonds also . . . .

• controlled inflation during the war.

• stimulated the economy when the war was over.

• were required by the U.s. government to be bought.

• paid back with huge interest rates.

The Selective Service Act of 1917

• Helped Americans choose the BEST uniforms for our troops.

• Created a bank to help finance the war.

• Gave the U.S. President the ability to draft soldiers and build an army.

• Immediately sent U.S. troops to Europe to begin fighting.

The Selective Service Act REQUIRED

• All troops to dress in uniform - whether fighting or not.

• A special trench to be built for U.S. troops.

• Required all men in the U.S. between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for the military.

• Required men and women to sign up for military service during WWI.

By the end of the war in 1918, about _______________ of the U.S. military who served in the war had been drafted.

• 90%

• 50%

• 25%

• 10%

The War industries Board (WIB)

• Wanted to create a group of highly trained generals to help strategize the war.

• Aimed to stop the waste of materials which could be used to make war goods.

• Encouraged companies to use mass-production to increase efficiency.

• A type of machine used to make war bonds.

To save and conserve fuel during the war, many Americans adopted . . .

• gasless Sundays

• soldiers in Europe and wrote to them every week.

• war dance parties to raise money for the war effort.

• lightless nights

The Committee on Public Information was created . . . .

• to sell as many war bonds as possible.

• to make people against the war.

• to inform the U.S. public on a daily basis on the war in Europe.

• to make people support the war.

Some of the activities of the Committee of Public information were:

• Filled newspapers and magazines with stories about the good side of war.

• Appointing 75,000 “Four Minute Men” who gave short four-minute talks about the war.

• Vicious anti-German propaganda (or misinformation).

• The creation of the Uncle Sam “I Want You” recruiting poster.

National War Labor Board was created to settle differences between . . .

• women and their employers.

• how much money was needed and spent on war related items (uniforms, weapons, transportation, etc.).

• companies and workers, so workers would not go on strike

• companies and the U.S. government, so prices for war goods would not rise.