1. The War to End War
1917-1918
Lecture
Chapter 30
The American Pageant, 13th edition
2. Quickwrite
What was the goal of the Committee
of Public Information, and how did it
achieve it?
OR
What was the purpose of Wilson’s
Fourteen Points Address?
3. US Enters the War
What led the US to finally enter the war in
April, 1917?
How prepared was the US for battle in
Europe?
4. US Enters the War
Zimmerman Note
German foreign secretary Zimmerman sent telegram
offering German-Mexican alliance
Suggested return of old Mexican territory if US was defeated
Intercepted by British & passed on to US
Americans furious; adds to anti-German anger
Unrestricted submarine warfare
New submarine attacks push the US to declare war
Four unarmed US merchant vessels sunk in two weeks
5. US declares war on Germany on April 6,
1917
The US was not prepared for war
Wilson inspired the populace with the call “to
make the world safe for democracy”
6. The Fourteen Points
What was the purpose of Wilson’s Fourteen
Points Address?
How did the Fourteen Points address
colonial issues?
What was the most important of the
Fourteen Points?
7. The Fourteen Points
Purpose of the Fourteen Points
Offer solutions to long-standing issues that had
led to WW1
Perhaps lead to a quick conclusion to the war
8. Key Themes of the Fourteen Points
Abolish secret treaties
Freedom of the seas
Removal of economic barriers
Reduction of armaments
Shifting of colonial claims to address
colonists’ and imperialists’ concerns
9. More Key Themes of the Fourteen
Points
Eventual self-determination of minority
nationalities
International organization for shared
security
Led to the League of Nations (predecessor to the
United Nations)
10. The US War Effort
What was the goal of the Committee of
Public Information, and how did it achieve it?
What was the effect of the war on
German-Americans?
American civil liberties?
The labor movement?
African-Americans?
American women?
11. Committee on Public Information
Propaganda committee to convince Americans to
support the war, led by George Creel
And other countries to support Wilson’s goals
Forms of propaganda
Army of 75,000 patriotic speechgivers
Posters
Leaflets and pamphlets
Anti-German movies
Patriotic and pro-military songs (Over There)
Sold program so well that disappointment was
great when not all Wilson’s goals were fulfilled
12. Over There 12 Over There.m4p
Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,
Take it on the run, on the run, on the run,
Hear them calling you and me, ev'ry son of liberty
Hurry right away, no delay, go today
Make your Daddy glad to have had such a lad,
Tell your sweetheart not to pine, to be proud her boy's in line
Over there, over there!
Send the word, send the word, over there!
That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming ev'rywhere!
So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware!
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back 'til it's over
Over There!
13. …Over There
Johnnie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,
Johnnie show the Hun you're a son of a gun!
Hoist the flag and let her fly,
Yankee Doodle do or die
Pack your little kit, show your grit, do your bit
Yankees to the ranks from the towns and the tanks
Make your mother proud of you and the old Red White and Blue
Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word, over there!
That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming ev'ry where
So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back 'til it's over
Over There!
14.
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18. German Americans
Most German Americans supported US, but
fears spread anti-German fervor and led to
sometimes mistreatment
A few tarred and feathered, beaten; one lynched
German foods renamed “liberty cabbage” and
liberty steak” while German music etc ignored
(no Beethoven or Wagner)
19. Civil Liberties
Espionage Act of 1917 & Sedition Act of 1918
Led to 1900 prosecutions directed mostly at German-
Americans, anti-war activists, and social radicals
Socialist leader Eugene Debs and Labor Leader Bill
Haywood each sentenced to 10 years
Criticism of government often censored or punished
Schenk vs. U.S.
Supreme Court case supported censorship by saying
that freedom of speech could be revoked when it
posed a “clear and present danger”
20. “Labor Will Win the War”
War effort built up by US workers
National Labor War Board mostly treated workers
fairly
Worked to avoid labor disputes
Pushed concessions for higher wages & 8-hour day
AF of L supported the war; IWW did not
AF of L skilled workers wages rose 20%
IWW unskilled workers (Wobblies) often badly treated
Still about 6,000 strikes during WW1
Steelworkers strike the biggest in US history (250,000
workers out)
21. African-Americans
First major African-American migration
north occurred during WW1
10,000s went north for wartime jobs, most stayed
Beginning of the “Great Migration”
Led to race riots in some communities
East St. Louis, MO
Chicago: two weeks of violence led to 23 blacks
and 15 whites killed
22. Women & the War Effort
Women’s Movement split between pro- and
anti-war feminists
But pro-war women in the majority
Gained them much gratitude and respect from
president who had previously ignored call for woman
suffrage (finally achieved in 1920)
1000s of women worked in factories replacing
men at war, or served as nurses at the front
Most returned home after war
23. Home Front War Effort
Home Front efforts largely voluntary
“heatless Mondays”, “meatless Tuesdays”, etc.
Victory Gardens in backyards
farm production increased 25%
Liberty Bonds
24. Over There, Over There
What was the difference between the
expectation and the reality of war for the
American soldiers?
How important was the arrival of the
Americans to the Allied victory?
25. Over There, Over There
Conscription (or Draft) Law was reluctantly
passed by Congress
4 million men joined or were drafted
Sent over with minimal training
More than 10,000 women also joined as support
staff
African-American men served in segregated
units under white officers, mostly as support staff
(construction, shiploading, etc)
26. Though poorly trained and late in arriving,
US soldiers tipped the balance in the Allies’
favor
Through relatively few Americans died, several
battles were fierce and deadly (Argonne Forest)
Germans surrender Nov 11, 1918 due to
sheer number of Americans arrived…and
expected
exhaustion of their own forces and resources
27. After Armistice
What was the result of the 1918 U.S.
elections and how did it affect Wilson’s
position at the Treaty conference?
What led to Wilson’s downfall at home and
abroad?
What were some of the main ideas of the
final Treaty of Versailles?
28. After Armistice
Wilson was at the peak of popularity, but his partisan
campaigning led to a narrow Republican win in
Congress
Wilson arrived at Treaty negotiations politically weaker
due to Democratic election losses
Made matters worse by only inviting one Republican to the
Treaty meetings
Despite all his efforts, only one of his Fourteen Points
was adopted by Allies: the League of Nations
Germany was seriously punished for its key role
Colonies simply switched from one imperialist to another etc
29. Wilson campaigned around the country to get
public support for Treaty of Versailles
Wilson collapsed while on his campaign, then had a
stroke; virtually immobile back at the White House
Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge
presented compromises to Wilson for Treaty
agreement, but Wilson refused
Lodge asked to add list of reservations over US
sovereignty (objected to League of Nations)
Treaty vote failed to get 2/3 required vote in the
Senate
US never signed Treaty of Versailles
30. Aftermath
US voters turned out Democrats in next
election
Republican Warren G Harding elected president
in 1920
Led to more conservative politics and
isolationism of the 1920s
Without US support, Treaty of Versailles
and League of Nations ultimately fail
Hitler and Germany rise again 20 years later