Lesson 5: Entering the War

Question 1

Bureaucracy Definition

Answer 1

a system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

Question 2

Czar Definition

Answer 2

a Russian emperor

Question 3

Draft Definition

Answer 3

a law that requires people of a certain age to perform military service

Question 4

Illiterate Definition

Answer 4

unable to read or write

Question 5

Liberty Bond Definition

Answer 5

a bond sold by the United States government to raise money for World War I

Question 6

Pacifist Definition

Answer 6

a person who objects to any war; believes war is evil

Question 7

Selective Service Act Definition

Answer 7

a law passed by Congress in 1917 that required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft

Question 8

Socialist Definition

Answer 8

a person who supports community ownership of property and the sharing of all profits

Question 9

Warmonger Definition

Answer 9

a person who tries to stir up war

Question 10

Zimmerman Telegram Definition

Answer 10

a 1917 telegram sent from Germany’s foreign secretary to the German minister in Mexico instructing the minister to urge Mexico to attack the United States if the United States declared war on Germany

Question 11

How did President Woodrow Wilson try to use American neutrality to establish peace, or “peace without victory”? What was the result?

Answer 11

President Wilson tried to bring both sides to peace talks. He believed that the United States, as a neutral nation, could lead warring nations to a fair peace, a “peace without victory.” But Wilson’s peace efforts failed.

Question 12

Despite trying to make peace, what possibility made Wilson lobby for a stronger army and navy?

Answer 12

Even as he was trying to make peace, Wilson knew that the United States might be drawn into the war. Thus, the President began to lobby for a stronger army and navy.

Question 13

How did Woodrow Wilson win re-election in 1916, against Republican Charles Evans Hughes?

Answer 13

In 1916, Wilson ran for reelection against Republican Charles Evans Hughes. Although Hughes also favored neutrality, Democrats were able to portray him as a warmonger, or person who tries to stir up war. At the same time, they boosted Wilson’s image with the slogan “He kept us out of war!” The race was close. On election night, Hughes went to bed believing he had won. Just after midnight, his telephone rang. “The President cannot be disturbed,” a friend told the caller. “Well, when he wakes up,” the caller replied, “just tell him he isn’t President.” Late returns from California had given Wilson the election.

Question 14

Why did President Woodrow Wilson break off all diplomatic relations with Germany in 1917?

Answer 14

In January 1917, Wilson issued what proved to be his final plea for peace. It was too late. In a desperate effort to break the Allied blockade, Germany had already decided to renew submarine warfare. Germany warned neutral nations that after February 1, 1917, its U-boats would have orders to sink any ship nearing Britain. German leaders knew that renewed U-boat attacks would probably bring the United States into the war. They gambled that they would defeat the Allies before American troops could reach Europe. To protest Germany’s action, Wilson broke off diplomatic relations with Germany.

Question 15

How did the Zimmerman Telegram push the United States closer to war, in February 1917? What did the Zimmerman Telegram state?

Answer 15

A few weeks later, a startling discovery moved the United States closer to war. In February, Wilson learned that Arthur Zimmermann, Germany’s foreign secretary, had sent a secret note to the German minister in Mexico. The Zimmermann telegram instructed the minister to urge Mexico to attack the United States if the United States declared war on Germany. In return, Germany would help Mexico win back its “lost provinces” in the American Southwest, which would include all of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. When Americans heard about the Zimmermann telegram, anti-German feeling soared.

Question 16

What two other events in early 1917 pushed the United States even closer to war?

Answer 16

Two other events in early 1917 pushed the United States still closer to war. First, German submarines sank several American merchant ships. Second, a revolution in Russia drove Czar Nicholas II from power.

Question 17

For hundreds of years, what did Russian efforts to abolish czarist rule end up in?

Answer 17

For hundreds of years, czars, or Russian emperors, had ruled with absolute power. Several times in the 1800s and early 1900s, Russians revolted against czarist rule. Their efforts ended in failure.

Question 18

What was the original stance of the Russian people on the czar when World War I started in 1914? How did their perception change? What government did they set up in place of the czar?

Answer 18

When the war in Europe began in 1914, Russians united behind the czar. However, as the war brought heavy losses at the front and economic hardship at home, discontent resurfaced. In March 1917, riots protesting the shortage of food turned into a revolution. The czar was forced to step down. Revolutionaries then set up a Provisional Government and called for democratic reforms.

Question 19

How did President Woodrow Wilson view the Russian Revolution?

Answer 19

President Wilson welcomed the Russian Revolution. He was a firm believer in democracy, and it was against his principles to be an ally of an absolute ruler. Without the czar, it would be easier for Wilson to support the Allied cause.

Question 20

What did President Wilson do on April 2, 1917? What was his justification? What was the vote in Congress for war? What did President Wilson do on April 6, 1917?

Answer 20

Finally, President Wilson went before Congress on April 2, 1917, to ask for a declaration of war. “The world must be made safe for democracy,” he declared. His war message assured the American people that entering the war was not only just; it was noble. Congress voted for war 455 to 56. Among those who voted against the declaration was Jeannette Rankin of Montana, the first woman elected to Congress. She hated war as much as she loved her country. “I want to stand by my country, but I cannot vote for war. I vote no!” she said. On April 6, the President signed the declaration of war. It thrust Americans into the deadliest war the world had yet seen.

Question 21

What state were the Allied Powers in when America joined?

Answer 21

Britain and France were on the verge of collapse. In Russia, soldiers were deserting to join the Russian Revolution.

Question 22

To enlarge its armed forces, why did Congress pass the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917? What is a draft?

Answer 22

Before it could fight, the United States needed to enlarge its armed forces. On May 18, 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act. It required all men from ages 21 to 30 to register for the military draft. A draft is a law requiring people of a certain age to serve in the military.

Question 23

Within the following 18 months of the enactment of the Selective Service Act, how many men and women joined the armed forces? How did Puerto Ricans, Filipinos, and immigrants contribute to the American armed forces?

Answer 23

In the next 18 months, 4 million men and women joined the armed forces. People from every ethnic group enlisted. About 20,000 Puerto Ricans served in the armed forces, as did many Filipinos. Scores of soldiers were immigrants who had recently arrived in the United States.

Question 24

How did American Indians contribute to the American armed forces in WWI?

Answer 24

Many American Indians were not citizens, so they could not be drafted. Large numbers of American Indians enlisted anyway. One family of Winnebago Indians provided 35 volunteers! They served together in the same unit.

Question 25

How did African Americans contribute to the American armed forces in WWI?

Answer 25

At first, the armed forces did not allow African Americans in combat. When the government abandoned this policy, more than 2 million African Americans registered for the draft. Nearly 400,000 were accepted for duty. They were formed into segregated “black only” units that were commanded mostly by white officers. Still, African Americans rallied to the war effort.

Question 26

How did WWI provide American recruits with education?

Answer 26

For many recruits, the Army offered several firsts. It was their first exposure to military authority and discipline. It was the first time most had ventured outside their farms and villages, let alone outside their country. Some had never taken regular baths or eaten regular meals before. Others had never used indoor plumbing. About 25 percent were illiterate, that is, unable to read or write. The army became a great educator. It taught millions of young Americans not only how to fight but also how to read, how to eat nutritious meals, and how to care for their daily health needs.

Question 27

How did illiteracy and low-test scores by American recruits motivate reforms in American education?

Answer 27

Shocking rates of illiteracy and other low test scores among recruits fueled a drive to reform public education. State and local school boards lengthened the school day and required students to spend more years in school. They raised teacher-training standards. More truancy officers patrolled the streets. By 1920, nearly 75 percent of all school-age children were enrolled in school.

Question 28

Why did the United States reorganize their economy to support the War effort? Why did President Wilson form a bureaucracy? What is a bureaucracy?

Answer 28

The United States reorganized its economy to produce food, arms, and other goods needed to fight the war. President Wilson set up government agencies to oversee the effort. A huge bureaucracy (byoo ROK ruh see) emerged to manage the war effort. A bureaucracy is a system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials.

Question 29

What was the job of Herbert Hoover as head of the Food Administration? How did his Administration portray democratic ideals? How did citizens contribute to their efforts?

Answer 29

Wilson chose Herbert Hoover to be head of the Food Administration. Hoover’s job was to boost food production to feed American troops and send food to the Allies. In keeping with the nation’s democratic traditions, Hoover relied on cooperation rather than force. He tried to win support for his programs with publicity campaigns that encouraged Americans to act voluntarily. “Food Will Win the War,” proclaimed one Food Administration poster. Encouraged by rising food prices, farmers grew more crops. Citizens planted “victory gardens” to raise their own vegetables. People went without wheat on “wheatless Mondays” and without meat on “meatless Tuesdays.” The food they saved helped the men in the trenches.

Question 30

Due to the war catching the nation short of supplies, what was the new government agency the War Industries Board?

Answer 30

War caught the nation short of supplies. The military had on hand only around 600,000 rifles, 2,000 machine guns, and fewer than 1,000 pieces of artillery. Disorder threatened as the military competed with private industry to buy scarce materials. To meet this crisis, President Wilson set up a new government agency, the War Industries Board. It told factories what they had to produce. It also provided for the sharing of limited resources and decided what prices should be set.

Question 31

Why did President Wilson create the War Labor Board? How did WWI and President Wilson’s support affect labor?

Answer 31

Without the support of workers, industry could not mobilize. In 1918, Wilson created the War Labor Board. It settled disputes over working hours and wages and tried to prevent strikes. With workers in short supply, unions were able to win better pay and working conditions. Railroad workers, for example, gained a large wage increase and an 8-hour workday. With the President supporting workers, union membership rose sharply and labor unrest declined.

Question 32

How did Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford help sell Liberty Bonds? What were Liberty Bonds? How much money did they raise?

Answer 32

Americans on the home front united behind the war effort. Movie stars, such as Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, helped sell Liberty Bonds. By buying bonds, American citizens were lending money to the government to pay for the war. The sale of Liberty Bonds raised $21 billion, just over half of what the United States spent on the war.

Question 33

To rally public support for the War, why did the Government send out a group of 75,000 men, known as Four-Minute Men? For what two reasons did they chose this name? What did the men urge Americans to do?

Answer 33

To rally public support for the war, the government sent out 75,000 men known as “Four-Minute Men” to speak to the American people. The name reminded people of the heroic minutemen of 1776. It also referred to the four-minute speeches the men gave at public events, movies, and theatrical productions. The speakers urged Americans to make sacrifices for the goals of freedom and democracy.

Question 34

What did women do as men entered the armed forces? How was their pay in these conditions?

Answer 34

As men joined the armed forces, women stepped into men’s jobs. Women received better pay in war industries than they had in peacetime. Still, they earned less than the men they replaced.

Question 35

What did women do in factories? What other jobs did they take? What happened to their advances after the war?

Answer 35

In factories, women assembled weapons and airplane parts. Some women drove trolley cars and delivered the mail. Others served as police officers, railroad engineers, or electric-lift truck drivers. By performing well in jobs once reserved for men, women helped change the view that they were fit only for “women’s work.” Unfortunately, most of the gains made by women later disappeared when the men returned to the workforce at the end of the war. Thousands of women lost jobs as army defense workers.

Question 36

How did prejudice against German-Americans increase during WWI? What happened to German-American Robert Prager in 1918? What happened to his lynchers? How did prejudice effect Germans and Americans?

Answer 36

German Americans endured suspicion and intolerance during the war. Newspapers questioned their loyalty. Mobs attacked them on the streets. In 1918, a mob lynched Robert Prager, whose only crime was that he had been born in Germany. A jury later refused to convict the mob leaders. Anti-German prejudice led some families to change their names. Schools stopped teaching the German language. Americans began referring to German measles as “liberty measles” and sauerkraut as “liberty cabbage.”

Question 37

Why did WWI cause a surge in Urban Migration? How did African Americans and Mexican Americans contribute to this migration?

Answer 37

The war spurred migration within the nation. Immigration from abroad had stopped. The draft drained cities and factories of needed workers. Cities soon swelled with newcomers. During the war, almost a half million African Americans and thousands of Mexican Americans embarked on a great migration from the South and Southwest to cities in the North.

Question 38

What benefits did African Americans gain in Northern cities? What acts of prejudice were they prone to?

Answer 38

In northern cities, many African Americans found better-paying jobs in war industries. As a result, African American migration continued after the war ended. At the same time, however, they ran into prejudice and even violence. Competition for housing and jobs sometimes led to race riots. Thirty-nine African Americans were killed during a 1917 riot in East St. Louis, Illinois. A New York parade protested the deaths. Marchers carried signs demanding, “Mr. President, Why Not Make AMERICA Safe for Democracy?”

Question 39

How did Mexican Americans and Native Mexicans contribute to the war effort in America? What happened when WWI ended?

Answer 39

In the Southwest, ranchers pressed the government to let more Mexicans cross the border. Almost 100,000 Mexicans entered the United States to work on farms, mostly in California and Texas. By 1920, Mexicans were the leading foreign-born group in California. Some Mexicans moved on to northern cities to work in factories. Throughout the war, Mexicans worked in cotton and beet fields, in copper mines, and in steel mills. All these jobs were important to the war effort. Yet after the war, when veterans returned and unemployment grew, the United States tried to force Mexican workers to return to Mexico.

Question 40

how did progressives, pacifists, and socialists oppose WWI?

Answer 40

Some Americans opposed the war. Among them were Progressives such as Jane Addams. Many of these critics were pacifists, people who refuse to fight in any war because they believe that war is evil. Antiwar feeling also ran high among Socialists and radical labor groups. A Socialist believes that the people as a whole rather than private individuals should own all property and share the profits from all businesses. Socialists argued that the war benefited factory owners but not workers.

Question 41

How did the government silence opposition to WWI?

Answer 41

To encourage unity, Congress passed laws making it a crime to criticize the government or to interfere with the war effort. Nearly 1,600 men and women were arrested for breaking these laws. Eugene V. Debs, socialist candidate for President five times, was jailed for protesting the draft. The government also jailed “Big Bill” Haywood, head of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical union. Using special powers granted under the wartime laws, government authorities ransacked the IWW’s offices.

Question 42

Why did little Americans question the Government’s restriction of free speech during WWI?

Answer 42

A few people questioned these laws. They argued that silencing critics violated the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech. Most Americans, however, felt that the laws were necessary in wartime.

Question 43

True or False: The vast urban migration during WWI is known as the Great Migration

Answer 43

True

Question 44

Remember: Not all Americans supported the fighting. Jane Addams, for example, formed the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, which opposed war on humanitarian grounds. For her work, she won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer 44

Not all Americans supported the fighting. Jane Addams, for example, formed the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, which opposed war on humanitarian grounds. For her work, she won the Nobel Peace Prize.