Chapter 23 America Prepares for War Section 2

Chapter 23 America Prepares for War Section 2

Raising an Army & Navy n n n Key ? – What social changes did the war effort help bring about? U. S. Army not militarily prepared for war. Selective Service Act – all males (21 -30) had to sign up for military service. American Expeditionary Forces – 2 million soldiers sent to France – Pershing. Britain & France wanted U. S. to join their soldiers, but Wilson refused. African American soldiers (200, 000) – at first, used for labor – 2 combat divisions formed.

Women Volunteer 40, 000 women volunteered. n American Red Cross n Served as non-combatants. n Nurses n Interpreters, switchboard operators, n Entertained troops n Drove AEF ambulances. n

Government Mobilizes the Population n n n Key ? - How did American civilians contribute to the war effort? War Bonds – low-interest loans by civilians to the government to be repaid in a number of years. Civilians conserved scarce resources. Children rolled bandages, collected tin cans, paper, toothpaste tubes, and cherry pits. Women knitted socks, sweaters, and sewed hospital gowns. People planted “victory gardens”.

Controlling the Economy and Information n War Industries Board – managed the buying and distributing of war materials; controlled wages and prices. National War Labor Board – settled disputes between workers and factory owners. Committee on Public Information – produced propaganda – opinions to influence others; posters, pamphlets, and movies.

Attacks on Civil Liberties and Dissent n n Propaganda also created prejudice against Germans. Espionage Act and Sedition Act. (1917) – heavy fines and prison terms for antiwar activities; encouraging draft resisters; pacifists; socialists. Eugene Debs – Socialist Party leader; poor working men for the profit of the rich. Sentenced to 10 years. Schenck v. United States, upheld the Espionage Act for convicting Schenck of distributing pamphlets against the draft. SC argued free speech could be limited in time of war.