The Home Front

Ch.14 Sec.2

Problem:

• The U.S.A. has only 370,000 troops in the armed forces. You need to double that number in

less than 3 months. What would you do to increase enrollment in

the military?

Answer:

• Selective Service– Created in 1917– All men between 21 & 30 have to

register for a draft– A lottery randomly determined the order

in which you would be called to serve–Went before a draft board who would

determine if you would go or not

Answer:

• Volunteers– Approx. 2 million men joined voluntarily– Seen as a great adventure opportunity,

the duty of a true American, opportunity to defeat “evil”

Problem:• The gov’t needs to find a way to

get American companies to make more goods for war

without taking them over (Free Enterprise). What can you do to increase war production without

nationalization?

Answer:

• War Industries Board– Told factories what they were assigned

to produce– Company owners got to decide what

and how much companies should produce

– Companies who didn’t want to participate received no additional govt funding

• Victory Gardens– Program that encouraged people to

grow their own vegetables for consumption

Problem:

• The U.S. is spending 44 million a day on war expenses. The govt is

running out of money quickly, and needs to raise funds. What can you do to raise money to

fund the war?

Answer:

• Taxes–Weapons factories got taxed on their

profits– Corporations had to pay higher taxes

• Liberty & Victory Bonds – Loans from the govt that citizens could buy which would be repaid w/ interest

Problem:

• Due to the large amounts of citizens joining the military,

industries need to hire people to replace them. How would you

solve the labor shortage problem?

• (Hint: Most industries are located in the north!)

Answer:

• Women In Industry– Filled jobs in shipping, manufacturing,

and railroad industries– Jobs were only offered on a temporary

basis

• The Great Migration– Northern industries offered incentives to

African Americans to move North and fill factory jobs

Answer:

• Mexican Americans in Industry– The U.S. Govt allowed Mexicans to cross

the border to fill ranching & agriculture jobs

–Many families forced to go back to Mexico after the war ended