Checkpoint_World_War_1

CheckPoint: World War I Dave Bourbon HIS/125 U.S History from 1865 to 1945 Gianoula Pavlakos Axia College of University of Phoenix July 22, 2011 Reasons for U.S. involvement in World War I * Submarine attacks on merchant and other neutral passenger trips by Germany * German attempts to antagonize Japan and Mexico into attacking the United States * Necessity to keep allied trade partners in power Many Americans were of the thinking that European problems existed because they had always existed and the United States could gain nothing from taking part in armed conflict there. This could have been the case if America was not looking for new trading partners since the industrialization period boom following the Civil War in the 1860s. America had blossomed as a new economy and along with the booming population there were thousands of new inventions that could only be helped by opening new markets to them. The trading partnership between Great Britain and the United States was so great that over a three year span during the years preceding American forces joining the Great War, trading grew from $800 million to over $3 billion. This new type of partnership could not suffer due to war that was begun through decades old treaties and secret partnerships. Almost every aspect of American industry stood to gain with entry into World War I. Government Strategies for Uniting Citizens * The Selective Service Act * The Committee on Public Information (CPI) * The National War Labor Board (NWLB) The Selective Service Act was an attempt to show the nation that regardless of class, all Americans were equal when it came to serving the nation. This was aided by the stipulation written into the bill that denied any person that ability to “buy” themselves out of serving their country. The Committee on Public Information was extremely effective in uniting American citizens and helping to create fervor of patriotism. This was done by distributing more than 75 million pamphlets, colorful posters, and an army of 75,000 “Four-Minute Men” who spoke quickly and passionately to small and large groups of citizens (Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. 2006). The National War Labor Board was implemented by President Wilson and charged with creating new labor policies that would garner labor-management cooperation and establish a strong wartime labor workforce (National War Labor Board. 1918-19). The War Labor Conference Board shortened work days to eight-hours, increased wages for employees, recognized unions, sought equal pay for women who did equal work, and settled grievances between labor and management. References Davidson, J., Gienapp, W., Heyrman, C., Lytle, M., & Stoff, M. (2006). Nation of nations: A concise narrative of the American Republic (4th ed. Vols. 1, 2, and Combined). Boston: McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-297087-1. Papers of the National War Labor Board. (1918-1919). Retrieved from http://library.truman.edu/microforms/war_labor_conference.asp