moblizing for war

Revenue Act of 1917: To help pay for the costs of mobilization, the act imposed a tax of 63% on the nation’s largest incomes. In addition, it taxed all business profits that were considered “excessive.” 

Selective Service Act (SSA): registered over 24 million men, between the ages of 18 and 45, for service in the United States military. Married men and men with dependents were exempted from military service. 

War Industries Board (WIB): created by the government to help coordinate the American economy for wartime production.  The board allocated raw materials to companies, established production priorities, and encouraged businesses to use mass production techniques to help reduce the waste of precious resources. The WIB would threaten companies with military takeover if they refused to comply with the quotas they set.  As a result, American production rose 20% and corporate profits soared as the American economy supplied both the Allies and themselves.

National War Labor Board (NWLB): Contained representatives from organized labor, business, and the public. Members were responsible for mediating labor disputes, protect workers rights to fair wages and hours, and ensure collective bargaining. Was created to reduce class conflict that could lead to strikes or lockouts. 

Fuel Administration (FA): organized by the government to help ration coal, heating oil, and gasoline.  Promoted such programs as “gasless Sundays,” “heatless Monday’s” and “lightless nights.”  In addition, the FA created Daylight savings time to take advantage of summer weather and help conserve fuel.

Food Administration (FA): Created by the government to manage United States agriculture to produce food for US troops and allies overseas.  The agency engaged in a massive publicity campaign asking Americans to believe in the “gospel of the clean plate.” To conserve food for the troops, the FA promoted “Meatless Mondays, Sweetless Saturdays, Wheatless Wednesdays, and Porkless Tuesdays.” Americans were encouraged to plant Victory Gardens to grow their own vegetables and school children planted gardens in city parks to help provide more food for the war effort.  President Wilson even joined the effort to save food by allowing a flock of sheep to pasture on the White House lawn. 

Committee on Public Information (CPI): Many Americans felt that the war was a European problem and not an American one.  In an effort to develop support the government created the CPI. Headed by George Creel, thus called the Creel Committee, the CPI published over 100 million pieces of literature.  Books, articles, slides, movies, paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures communicated the patriotism necessary to win the war in Europe. Theaters showed films like, The Kaiser: Beast of Berlin, and To Hell with the Kaiser to stir American passions. In addition, the CPI hired 75,000 “Four Minute Men” to give speeches on bonds, the draft, rationing, victory gardens, and why the war was necessary. Over 7.5 million speeches were given to over 314 million Americans.  Finally, the CPI distributed 7 million copies of How War Came to America, and 60 million pamphlets in English, Swedish, Polish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Czechoslovakian, and Portuguese, to help drum up support for the war. 

Espionage and Sedition Acts-Passed in 1917, these acts levied a fine of up to $10,000 and/or 20 years in prison for interfering with the draft, the sale of war bonds, or saying anything disloyal.  In addition, any profane, abusive or disloyal speech about the government, the war effort, the Constitution, the flag, or the military was made illegal.  Finally, the acts allowed the Postmaster General to stop/ban any mail that was considered treasonous.  Over 6,000 arrests, 1,200 convictions, numerous deportations, and the removal of the mailing privileges for 45 newspapers were direct results of these acts.  Most of the arrests and convictions were of socialist and labor leaders and banned newspapers were anti-British, pro-Irish, and socialist in nature. 

Liberty Loans- Using slogans like “Halt the Hun,” four Liberty Loan drives helped the United States Government net over $21 billion dollars to help pay for the costs of the war.  The remainder of the funds came from the sale of “Liberty Stamps” to children and a dramatic increase in the Federal income tax.