How did American ideals influence our role in global conflict?
World War I, known as the Great War at the time, broke out in 1914 with Germany and Austria-Hungry on one side and Great Britain, France and Russia on the other. Most Americans wanted to keep the United States out of the conflict and saw rivalries among European aristocracies as the cause of the fighting. While the U.S. was neutral, the country did want to continue to carry on trade with Europe. This created a problem because the warring nations did not want American manufactured products and farm goods to reach their enemies. Great Britain’s navy prevented most American ships from reaching German ports. In response, Germany began using submarines to attack any vessel taking supplies to its enemies. In 1917, when German submarines began sinking American ships, the U.S. declared war on Germany and its partners. American soldiers joined the fighting.
United States Enters World War I
The United States was not prepared for war. It had to raise an army quickly and to supply it with arms, food, clothing and transportation. That required a major effort from the entire population. Young men were required to register for military service, and the army began drafting men into uniform. Iowa recruits were often sent to Camp Dodge, a hastily-built training center just north of Des Moines. Today, it is the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. Iowa factories began making armaments and munitions (bullets and explosives) and other war equipment.
A big challenge was to feed U.S. soldiers and our allies, particularly Great Britain and France. To encourage farmers to produce more, the government guaranteed them high prices for their products and appealed to their patriotism. Posters declared "Food Will Win the War." It worked. Iowa farm production took a huge upward surge. As farms produced more, all families were encouraged to use less. Sugar, butter and meats were rationed (limited). Each family got a ration book with stamps that they could use to buy limited amounts of certain products each week. Families were encouraged to plant "Victory Gardens” to produce more of their own food, and Iowans responded enthusiastically.
The government sold bonds to pay for the war. A bond was a loan to the government that paid interest. To encourage sales, local committees in each town sponsored bond drives with patriotic rallies and door-to-door contacts. Even children saved coins and traded them in at the post office to secure a bond. The Red Cross was a semi-private organization that provided entertainment, refreshments and personal items to troops abroad. Women knitted scarves, socks and gloves for the troops with wool provided by the American Red Cross. Like the government, the Red Cross needed funds, and Iowans contributed readily to the cause.
Iowans Face Conflicted Loyalties
At the time, many Iowans still had ties to their European homelands. Germans and Irish were the two largest immigrant groups in the state, and neither was friendly toward Great Britain. The German language was still spoken in some communities, especially in western Iowa and Mississippi River cities like Davenport and Dubuque. In many communities, Germans, especially, were accused of supporting America’s enemies and were treated badly. They were forced to purchase war bonds, to kiss the American flag in public or humiliated in other ways. Schools were forbidden to teach the German language and German books were burned. Iowa’s Governor William Harding even issued the Babel Proclamation, which made it illegal to speak any language except English is public, but his act was not always taken seriously.
When fighting ended in November 1918, wild celebrations broke out almost everywhere with bonfires, speeches and revelries. Troops returning home had experienced a wider world than they had known before and were sometimes ready for new adventures. A very serious outbreak of the flu in November and December took the lives of more Iowans than were killed in combat. The war was over but the world was not the same as it was in 1914. The conflict had been called "the war to end all wars," but sadly, that was not to be the case.
