Heimler's History: Unit 7 - Homefront During World War I

Overview

• Focus on the U.S. homefront during World War I.
• Understanding "total war": Mobilization of economic, industrial, and social resources.

Mobilization Efforts

• Wartime Agencies:
  • War Industries Board: Coordinated labor and management to produce war materials (e.g., armaments, uniforms).
  • Food Administration: Ensured sufficient food production for troops and civilians.
• Migration: Movement from rural areas to urban centers for industrial work.

Civil Liberties and Government Actions

• Espionage Act (1917) & Sedition Act (1918):
  • Made opposing the war or interfering with the draft a crime.
  • Restricted speech considered disloyal to the war effort.
• Supreme Court Case: Schenck v. United States
  • Upheld restrictions on speech that posed a "clear and present danger."
• Spanish Flu:
  • Government suppressed reports on the true death toll to maintain morale.

The Red Scare

• Post-war anti-communist sentiment.
• Palmer Raids:
  • Mass arrests of socialists, radicals, labor union leaders (over 6,000 arrests, 500 deportations).

Immigration and Nativism

• Peak European immigration before WWI led to nativist backlash.
• Immigration Quotas:
  • Emergency Quota Act (1921) & National Origins Act (1924): Set low quotas for immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.

Migration Patterns

• Great Migration:
  • Southern black population moved northward for industrial jobs and to escape Jim Crow Laws.
  • Northern industries needed workers due to reduced immigrant labor pool.
  • Continued racial discrimination in the North, though less legally entrenched.

Racial Tensions and Riots

• 1921 Tulsa Race Riots:
  • Sparked by false assault accusations against a black man.
  • Resulted in mass destruction, homelessness, and death (300 black individuals killed).

Conclusion

• Life on the homefront during WWI was challenging due to war mobilization, civil liberty restrictions, and social upheavals.