Finish reading and copious notes for Chapter 22 of Out of Many.
For your blog -
Read Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom by Friday 3/28.
In Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner explains that "the enlistment of democracy and freedom as ideological war weapons, qualities that set the country apart from German authoritarianism, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home."
In your opinion, why did American social movements gain momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War. Reference at least three achievements of social movements to support your answer.
Be prepared to have a seminar on this chapter on Friday 3/28.
26 comments:
I do not have a copy of Foner's book at home.
:(
Teresa
Wow...our blog's hilarious.
Michelle Shed
AP U.S. History
In Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner explains that "the enlistment of democracy and freedom as ideological war weapons, qualities that set the country apart from German authoritarianism, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home." This means that many social movements were achieved during and after the period of World War One. During the early twentieth century, freedom of speech was quite a pressing issue. There were American workers who wanted the right to strike. Socialists and labor radicals wanted the right to assemble, while women wanted the right to vote. These struggles and desires resulted in the rise of civil liberties in America. The reason American social movements gained momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War was because progressive intellectuals and reformers, joined by many socialists and labor leaders, fought for democracy in their own country while Wilson wanted to fight for democracy in other nations. It was a controvertible issue.
According to Eric Foner, between 1900 and 1915, there were more free speech cases bought to the courts than in any other decade or century. There was a desire between socialists, laborers, women, and African Americans to end local censorship. State courts in the Progressive era issued a numerous amount of injunctions to barricade strikers from speaking, picketing or handing out literature during labor disputes. Yet, the labor movement had their own version of freedom. The laborers believed that liberty meant the right to assemble, organize, and strike. However, dozens of state laws were enacted to stop the workers from striking and organizing. As time passed, the courts invalidated most of these laws. On the other hand, the reason labor organizers were prohibited from speaking freely was through violence from private police or suppression from local authorities. Still, that didn’t stop the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) to fight for the right of public expression. The IWW promoted to mobilize the migrants, new immigrants, and racial minorities excluded from other labor organizations. They rallied on street corners to gain support from other workers. The IWW filled jails with members who broke the law by speaking in public. Their rallying managed to question acceptable limits of public speech. The IWW and the Socialist party also opposed American participation during the war.
The steel strike of 1919-1920 resulted in an eight-hour workday for American workers. This involved about 365,000 mostly immigrant workers. The new immigrants that arrived into the country viewed the United States as a land of freedom, where men could worship anyone they pleased and economic success. Before the war, the steel mills were miniature autocracies, where workers received low wages for long hours, and where working conditions were terrible. During the war, workers, workers flooded into the Amalgamated Association. By the end of 1918 they had won an eight-hour workday. “The steel strike illustrated the aspirations galvanized by the war in the name of freedom, its crushing defeat marked the beginning of an era of retreat for organized labor and for the idea of industrial freedom.”
During the early twentieth century, women fought over obscenity regulations. This included the right to hand out information about birth control. Women wanted emotional and industrial freedom. They wanted the right to work like other men and they wanted the right to vote. They wanted to “express their demands for greater autonomy, free sexual oppression and reproductive choice.” However, during the war, more women were required to enter the workforce. Their presence contributed to the importance of the demand for access to birth control and the limits of freedom of speech. Emma Goldman, a famous feminist speaker, constantly included the right to birth control in her speeches on women’s rights, and distributed pamphlets with detailed information about ways of preventing pregnancy. She was arrested more than forty times just to prevent her from speaking to the public. Either way, women did manage to achieve the voting right, even if it did take some time. In 1916, Wilson endorsed women’s suffrage and carried ten of the twelve states where women enjoyed the franchise. When America entered the war, Carrie Catt and the traditional women’s suffrage enlisted in the effort. Still, women like Alice Paul, who led and organized in the National Women’s party, pressed for the vote with militant tactics. She compared Wilson the Kaiser, burned the president’s speeches, and with a group of followers, chained herself to the White House fence and received a seven months ‘sentence in prison. According to Eric Foner, the combination of women’s patriotic service and widespread outrage over the mistreatment of Alice Paul and her prisoners resulted in the administration to support women’s suffrage. In 1920, the nineteenth amendment was ratified and women were granted the right to vote.
There were other pressing matters occurring in the nation during and after the war. W.E.B. Du Bois constantly argued about the problem of black freedom and the challenge it posed to American democracy. In 1906, Du Bois helped to organize the Niagara movement, which sought to reinvigorate the traditions of abolitionism and reconstruction. In 1911, he joined with a group of white reformers in creating the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which launched a long legal struggle for the enforcement of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment. Many back leaders saw the war as an opportunity to gain democracy. Many black leaders believed that rather than making the world safe for democracy, the government should worry about making the South safe for the African Americans. Black leaders insisted that the service of black soldiers would result in the dismantling of racial discrimination. Many African Americans benefited from the war. The cause of increased wartime production and the cutoff of immigration from Europe resulted in thousands of job openings to black workers, inspiring a massive migration to the North. They received higher wages, opportunities for educating their children, escape from violence in the South and share cropping, and the prospect of exercising the right to vote.
Despite all this desire for freedom and struggles, a huge amount was achieved. In 1919, the justices of the Supreme Court held the constitutionality of the Espionage Act and the conviction of Charles T. Schenck, a socialist spreading an anti-war propaganda agenda. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes declared that the first Amendment did not prevent Congress from prohibiting speech that presented a “ clear and present danger” of inspiring illegal actions. By the end of the 1920’s, the Court had voided the criminal syndicalism law of Kansas and a Minnesota statue allowing for the censorship of the press. In 1930, the court reversed the conviction under the Comstock Law of Mary Ware Dennett for sending a sex education pamphlet, The Sex Side of Life, through the mails. Three years later a federal court overturned the Customs of Service’s ban on James Joyce’s Ulysses.
AP U.S Students: There are many definitions of civil liberties, the right to vote, freedom of speech, etc. What is your definition of freedom?
I do not have a copy of Foner's book aswell...
John Harden
Block B
American social movements gained momentum during the period including and surrounding the Great War. This untrammeled growth of social rights movements flourished for obvious reasons. In Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom, the author, Eric Foner touches upon this sudden rise in progressive movements. Foner points out that “the enlistment of democracy and freedom as ideological war weapons, qualities that set the country apart from German authoritarianism, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home” (Foner 171). Eric Foner is explaining to the reader that the United States was pushing their war effort in a moral direction in light of the fact that they believed they were essentially spreading democracy, liberty, freedom and justice for all.
However, many citizens of the United States of America felt that their lives were lacking the same freedoms America was “promoting” overseas. Women, for example, were not allowed to vote in political elections. Equal rights would incontrovertibly mean that men and women could both vote considering they are both citizens of the country. That was not the case before the 19th Amendment was passed by Congress. Women in the long run also did not receive paychecks equally substantial to that of their male counterparts. Despite most women working just as, if not more, assiduously than men, they did not receive the same rewards. Alice Paul, the founder of the Nation Women’s Party, saw that both these cases were unjust. The United States was promising democracy and social equality overseas, but they were not promoting equality at home. Alice Paul and other women believed, “why should the United States enter a war if they have not even fixed problems at home?”
Therefore, Alice Paul and the Nation Women’s Party stood in front of the White House days on end picketing President Wilson. Eventually, January of 1918, the President announced his full support of the women’s suffrage movement. Nevertheless, the reason their was a rise in social movements such as the women’s suffrage movement is quite clear. The United States of America was ready to go overseas and spread equality for others, but they had not even instituted the equality at home. Also, American propaganda during World War I would make the United States seem more moral in comparison to the German Empire. However, many of the ideologies these propaganda posters would state would contradict what America’s stance on home equality really was. Minorities sought to gain their equality because America was saying they already had it when they, in reality, did not.
In response to Michelle Shed's question: I define freedom as having the right to equal oppurtunity and the right to do what one pleases as long as it does not physically harm the rest of a community.
Teresa Konopka
AP US
*I got to read the book after all--and WOWZA, what a chapter! :)
As noted in Eric Foner’s The Story of American Freedom, social movements began to gain momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War. Women started picketing for rights, African Americans started speaking up against segregation, and workers began complaining about wages and poor working conditions. Of course, these actions were not the first of their kind; however, they were the first during a Great War that made them gain some momentum.
For women, they began to become more loose, in a sense. In terms of their libido, they expressed it without shame--or at least some began to. With the rise of birth control, many women spoke openly about it and even made signs. This was seen as obscene to the government. Other women were less interested in such affairs and set their sights on voting rights. They formed the National Women’s Party. Led by Alice Paul, this organization faced much opposition, and many members were put in jail. By doing such actions during wartime, they hoped to put pressure on a president who needed public support.
For workers, they began to speak out against atrocities. Some courts oppressed the freedom of speech, so a free speech league was formed. There were even labor lawyers equip especially for such cases. Workers began to come together to form the Industrial Workers of the World association. The workers gained momentum during World War I since they were making supplies needed for war. Some workers worked on guns, cars, food, and other important jobs. They figured that they should not work to support a war if they weren’t being treated properly.
For African Americans, they were getting tired of being oppressed for so long. Even though they were no longer enslaved by the time of World War I, they were still in bondage. Du Bois hoped to reverse that by forming the NAACP. Blacks were seen as lowly peoples. The Ku Klux Klan felt racially superior to them and sued violence against them. They were also anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic. While liberty-driven pamphlets were often taken out of circulation, the NAACP still tried its hardest to push for equality during a time when the government had to listen to its fellow draftsmen. While major reforms did take a while, prejudices slowly drifted towards supposed commies during the Red Scare of 1919-1920.
Many opposed Wilson’s war. In general, the Irish, German, socialists, and Industrial workers of the world were against it. Conversely, the Committee on Public information was assigned to promoted he war. They were dubbed the Four-Minute Men, as they translated the war cause in about four minutes to immigrants. The Alien / Sedition / Espionage acts were put in place to quell anti-government theories and regulations.
Teresa Konopka
AP US
Student Response:
Michelle, my definition of freedom is basic. It is the right to live without a totalitarian government. Also, it is the right to attend school and vote. Since I don't have to acknowledge a despot, I can go to public school, and I can vote at 18, I consider myself free. How 'bout you?
Jeremy Smith
APUS
During and after World War I, freedom of the representation of one’s self became apparent within the streets of major cities. In The Story of American Freedom by Eric Foner, Foner states, “the enlistment of democracy and freedom as ideological war weapons, qualities that set the country apart from German authoritarianism, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home.” The United States, being a land of freedom, began to reform after the Reconstruction as one nation. Blacks, now free from slavery, proposed a proper plan of action to at least end the segregation that was apparent in public bathrooms or on transportation. With that, W.E.B. Du Bois established the NAACP, where many Colored people gathered to discuss the racism that was still going on from other organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. Another highly recognized organization was the National Women’s Party, headed by Alice Paul, to focus on the women’s rights to vote, and women’s rights in general. Most of the protests that the NWP held were in front of the President’s office, where Alice Paul believed that Woodrow Wilson could pardon Congress for a women’s suffrage amendment on the Constitution. However, people rioted against the protests, and the NWP was jailed. Whilst in jail, Alice Paul organized a hunger strike, where she was to be force fed. Luckily, Wilson pardoned Congress about the issue, and women were given the right to vote. Among many other representations took part in the form of anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, and anti-German during WWI. For the most part, although protesting during a time of war was highly questionable and considerably “disrupting”, the NWP and the NAACP became the most active movements before and during WWI.
In Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner explains that "the enlistment of democracy and freedom as ideological war weapons, qualities that set the country apart from German authoritarianism, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home."
During the period following up to the Great War, social movements gained momentum in the United States. Movements were very successful because Wilson, sought to fight for international democracy. However, their weren't any Therefore, many used Wilson's words on him, saying that there is no democracy in the United States. The President was embarrassed because his international plans made absolutely no sense if there was no democracy inside his own country. Workers, women, and blacks all gained more of their power during this period. Women were allowed to vote, workers gained the right to strike and blacks experienced better living conditions. All three of these groups gained their right because they attacked the government at a vulnerable point, when it was solemnly focused on international affairs and at war. For Wilson to enter the war he needed the public on his side, and a tense public which didn't have basic rights wasn't going to favor the President that easily. For Wilson's international plans to go accordingly he needed the support of the public and the public wasn't going to give him what he wanted if they didn't receive their rights.
Labor Unions were first sought out in 1869. Throughout the years leading up to the Great War many strikes occurred, such as Haymarket Square riot, Homestead steel strike, and the Pullman strike. These all had reasonable causes but ended in violence and numerous deaths as strikes were seen as unconstitutional. Protesters looked towards leaders such as Samuel Gompers during these years for inspiration. Then a year before the Great War the U.S. government establishes the Department of Labor to protect the rights of workers. This was established because the workers saw the war coming and took advantage. Also, Wilson needed the support of the population to go into war. In 1914 The Clayton Antitrust Act legalizes nonviolent strikes and boycotts. Now the workers could show their displeasure and in 1919, after the war a record 4 million went on strike.
As with workers, women also worked their way up towards civil disobedience throughout the years. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns form the Congressional Union to work toward the passage of a federal amendment to give women the vote. The group is later renamed the National Women's Party. They successfully picketed the White House with Wilson quotes and practiced other forms of civil disobedience like refusing to eat. As with workers, after the war the federal woman suffrage amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony and introduced in Congress in 1878, is passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
During the period leading up to the Great War blacks did not benefit as much as other groups did. However, this period was a big step towards the future of African-American history. During this period Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up From Slavery was published, as well as W.E.B. Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk. Both of these novels were very inspirational to African-Americans and further fueled their hunger for equal rights. In 1909, the first National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) meeting scheduled and a year later the Nation Urban League was founded.
During the period following up to the Great War, social movements gained momentum in the United States. Woekers, women and blacks were only three of many groups that gained more power in society. Because of the Great War these groups were able to further evolve and have more say in political, economical and social topics.
Michelle:
The site uncyclopedia.org has the perfect definition of freedom and it goes along the lines of..."Freedom is often used as a rallying word for revolutionaries. The idea behind freedom is that the person using the term is somehow being oppressed, and therefore must be freed. Also, the word is commonly abused by politicians in order to sound righteous or honorable
oooo snap i forgot a period. well here it goes [.]
Elizabeth Che
Block B - AP US History
Chapter 8 of Eric Foner’s The Story of American Freedom focuses on the impact of World War I on the freedom of speech and social movements such as the women’s movement, African American’s promised equality and the labor unions. The Great War caused many new opportunities to arise while restricting others. Despite the sufferings of the haplessness, each event was needed to further progress the United States.
Before the 1900's free speech claims were rarely seen at court. Judges were noted by Foner to “generally allowed authorities wide latitude in determining which speech had a “bad tendency” and therefore could be suppressed” (163). However, from 1900 to 1915, more free speech cases were presented including advertisers who sought to “avoid government regulation and the fledgling motion picture industry demanding an end to local censorship. But it was the struggle of workers for the right to strike, of socialists and labor radicals against restraints on open-air speaking, and of cultural modernists and feminists for an end to the bond regulation of the broad regulation of “obscenity” that made free speech a significant public issue” (164). The Espionage Act of 1917, as we have learned in class, prohibited spying and interfering with the draft as well as “false statements” that might decline military success. Adding to the Sedition Act which restricted criticism of America’s involvement in WWI or it’s government, individuals such as Debs and Schenck were convicted for speaking and mailing respectively. Tensions caused by America’s participation in IWW, caused citizens to be repressed even further without their ability to speak as they please. As Michelle mentioned, “To arouse popular support, the IWW filled the jails with members who defied local law by speaking in public. Sometimes, prisoners were treated with wanton brutality...” (Foner 164).
Restriction of the freedom of speech not only affected protesters to the war but also other aspects of society, fundamental to swaying public opinion. Women suffragists achieved success in 1920 through the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. However, this amendment would not have been made possible without the National Women’s Party led by Alice Paul and traditional women’s suffrage organizations portrayed by Carrie Catt. In the eyes of the traditional suffragists, Paul and her supporters were seen to be scandalous through their militant tactics and vigorous actions. Yet with self-sacrifice, the mistreatment of Alice Paul and her supporters caused widespread outrage pushing the administration towards “full-fledged support for women’s suffrage” (172). The 19th Amendment not only granted women suffrage but was as one woman states, was later defined as “emancipation of woman both as a human-being and as a sex-being” (166). America’s participation in the Great War also opened up job positions to women workers, reinforcing “the importance of the demand for access to birth control both to prewar feminism and the growing consciousness of limits on freedom of speech in America” (167).
The acknowledgment of women’s self-conscious pursuit by society led to the increase in the nation’s economy as advertising and mass entertainment were geared towards women, allowing new products and inventions to make their way to wealthy and sustained households. But, victory did not extend it’s hand towards the African American women. Even though the United States became the 27th country to allow women to vote, the states were free to limit voting on their grounds. And so, “the vast majority of the country’s black women” (186) were let out, unaffected by the 19th Amendment. The Great Migration describes the massive migration of African Americans from South to North. Caused by the “combination of increased wartime production and the cutoff of immigration from Europe,” blacks sought “higher wages in northern factories,... opportunities for educating their children, escape from the treat of violence in the South and... the prospect of exercising the right to vote” (173). Meanwhile, DuBois concluded that Wilson had “never at any single moment meant to include in his Democracy” black Americans or the non-white peoples of the world” (174). Support of World War I in hopes of new-found freedom disintegrated into discontent; shifting focus onto the separatist movement led by Marcus Garvey.
Self-determination then became an important issue between minority groups in the United States. The Graveyites “demanded for blacks the same internationally recognized identity now enjoyed by Poles, Czechs, and the Irish” (174). Forced to undergo Americanization, immigrants were constantly reminded to forget their Old World ties and submit themselves to new sets of customs. The Red Scare of 1919 - 1920 exemplifies Americanization as rigorous education programs were pushed onto the immigrants. Foner explains that, “to alleviate ‘religious suspicions’ by abolishing parochial institutions and to prevent ‘Bolshevists, syndicalists and communists’ from organizing their own schools.... citizenship education programs in public schools and vigorous efforts by employers to teach immigrants English and instill an appreciation for ‘American values’” (188).
On another hand, labor unions rapidly diminished over the duration of the Great War as it did increase when the war started. Wartime propaganda was a main influence in the uprising of laborers. Portraying the Central Powers as merciless and barbaric Huns, the workers saw their employers as the enemy. As Foner states, “Workers appropriated the imagery and rhetoric of the war, parading in army uniforms with Liberty buttons, denouncing their employers and foremen as ‘Kaisers’ and demanding ‘freedom in the workplace’” (175). Believing war would lead to new benefits such as 8-hour work day and increased wages, laborers rushed to join unions. However, as reality struck down its hammer, the disappointing truths led to strikers demanding the end to “slave labor.” The steel strike of 1919-1920 for example, involved 365,000 workers. Imagining the “land of freedom” immigrants dreamed of men “equal before the law, could worship as they pleased, enjoyed economic opportunity, and had been emancipated from the oppressive social hierarchies of Europe” (176). So, when faced with the truth, immigrants had no other choice but to accept it and try their best to achieve.
American social movements gained momentum leading up to and after the Great war due to the impending beliefs of democracy and the spreading of freedom. Taking advantage of situations, organizations rallied their causes within permitted grounds. Despite facing setbacks, the opinions of the public were needed to push the administration into submitting to compromise. While Wilson advocates the war as protecting democracy and interests, social movement supporters followed a similar mind-set. Ultimately, using Wilson’s own words against him as like women suffragist, Alice Paul, did for her demonstrations.
Response:
In response to Michelle’s question, Foner notes that the meaning of freedom is influenced by progressive belief (economic arrangements) and the respect for civil liberties and cultural pluralism. Meanwhile, my definition of freedom is similar to that of John Harden’s. The ability to do as an individual desires should only be restricted to maintain the welfare of at least another individual. As long as the actions remain moral and safe, freedom should not be bounded to too many laws and restrictions.
Michele - E: Thoughful and detailed work. Excellent application of details from the text.
Theresa - E: You did a fantastic job quilting together the different threads of social movements in this chapter.
Jeremy - G: Solid analysis; in order to get the E you MUST respond to another post.
John - E-: Sophisticated and analytical, though I feel you should include some direct text based-references.
Jakub- E: Specific and informed; the unencyclopedia definition is alot like the one Foner presents in his introduction.
Elizabeth - E: This post is phenomenally rich and detailed. I'm continuiously impressed with the level of your work.
Dominique D. Johnson
Block B. AP U.S. History
March 26, 2008
Chapter 8 of Eric Foner’s The Story of American Freedom explains the effectiveness of World War I as far as the freedom of speech and social movements. Social movements gained momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War. Around that period of time many social groups used this war as the opportunity to move forward with their cause. Social movements such as women’s movement, African American movement was extremely popular. Society outcaste social groups, since, they were sensitive and sympathetic to the government during a time of war.
Many of these movements had some success to its cause and perhaps beneficial since Wilson was fighting for international democracy and promoting the fourteen points doctrine. Women such as Alice Paul sought to fight for independence and looked at this opportunity as risky but beneficial for women. Despite the reaction from society, this social group continued to push to get their rights. W.E.B. Du Bois established the NAACP, an African American movement that sought to have equal rights as those who were Caucasian. Workers movement sought to fight for just rights during the work environment. However; during this period time, freedom of speech was also questioned. Since, many female activists such as women of the NWA were arrested for freedom of speech. Still, there was propaganda that persuaded the people of the United States that they were in the Great War for a just cause.
The majority of Americans believed that America should’ve remained neutral and take care of business at home before spreading democracy, since not everyone in the States had equal rights and opportunities.
Response to Michelle:
My definition of freedom, is being able to make decisions for yourself without consequences. Also to have equal rights and to have equal opportunities.
Ashley Aydin
AP U.S. – Block B
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In 1917, the U.S. government used the Espionage Act to jail hundreds of Americans for speaking out against World War I and resulting social dilemmas. Shortly after the war, civil liberties became of utmost importance. It is commonly promoted that World War I set the stage for what has nearly been a century-long struggle for the realization of every American's right to freedom of speech. Accordingly, social movements during the Great War paved the way for modern uniformity and sovereignty – specifically, for laborers and women.
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LABOR:
For its efforts, it must be acknowledged that the American Federation of Labor pushed for reasonable, deserved employment rights. During World War I, the AFL formed a solid union movement among skilled craftsmen that, with favorable circumstances, formed the core of later union movements. To gain support, the Wilson administration endorsed unionization and collective bargaining in exchange for union war effort. “While we are fighting for freedom, we must see to it among other things that labor is free” (175). AFL affiliates, thus, used state support to organize mass-production workers in shipbuilding, metal fabrication, meatpacking and steel doubling union membership between 1915 and 1919. However, when Federal support ended, employers mobilized to crush the nascent unions. This fueled the drive to end to harsh working conditions. “During the war, union membership doubled to over 5 million workers, and millions more rallied around the demand for an end to ‘industrial slavery’” (175). Even before the war, frustration with the slow pace of social reform had led to a shift in national focus. Many Americans, upset and radical, promoted the bettering of the American labor system. With protests and strikes, laborers eventually won back support and created a union resurgence.
Furthermore, in 1919, workers represented by the American Federation of Labor went on strike against the United States Steel Corporation. Because it eventually involved more than 350,000 workers, the walkout is known as the Great Steel Strike of 1919.
“‘You don’t have to be a serf to anyone.’ Work in the steel industry belied these expectations” (176). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many workers, including laborers in the steel industry, faced difficult conditions, long hours, and inequitable wages. During World War I, many workers went on strike, hoping to force their employers to raise wages and improve conditions. The American Federation of Labor continued to support the strike, while workers demanded higher wages, an eight-hour workday, and recognition of unions. Consequently, company owners portrayed the workers as dangerous radicals who threatened the American way of life. Because many of the striking workers were recent immigrants, owners were able to portray them as instigators of trouble. With force, government officials used National Guard troops and federal units to eliminate the action, leading to violence and deaths. Still, the strike influenced political issues and eventually won an eight hour workday.
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WOMEN:
World War I also played a significant part in developing women's political rights. Before the war, women typically played the role of the homemaker. Commonly, women were judged by their beauty rather than their ability. During the war, women began to break away from the traditional roles they had played. As men left their jobs to serve their country overseas, women pursued their tasks. In the U.S., there were over eight million women in paid occupations. As more and more men were drafted and had to leave their jobs, the U.S. government and various industries began seeking women workers. Since women were thought of to be lowly laborers, their pay was exceedingly low. As a result, The National Women’s Trade Union League, representing 150,000 organized working women, met together for counsel and action. They publicized that corporations were “… making slaves out of the men and women” (179). However, employers did not raise women's wages. Instead, they justified having equal pay policies by employing several women to replace one man, or by dividing skilled tasks into several less skilled stages. The National Women’s Trade Union League continued to fight for equality in the workplace, working closely with the AFL. Ultimately, they achieved the right to join unions, as well as the accomplishment of raising the minimum wage.
Likewise, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a number of women's organizations advocated the female right to vote. Among such groups was the National Women's Party. Alice Paul and a number of other women founded the National Women's Party, originally known as the Congressional Union, in 1913. Paul and her supporters believed that women needed to be more militant in their demands for equal rights. Continually, they made newspaper headlines and challenged traditional views of women's roles by forming picket lines near the White House, being arrested by the police, and going on hunger strikes while in prison. Overall, the NWP won the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution on August 18, 1920 – reaching their ideal aim.
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Generally, social movements gained momentum during the Great War because of America’s need to modernize and remain united. Seeing that the United States was involved in a critical conflict, radicals and activists knew that their actions would change domestic conditions. The revolutionary ideas of social movements during WWI promoted an improved American lifestyle. With freedom and reform, the United States stood singular as a nation –accomplishing political and social accord.
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*Response to Michelle
My definition of freedom relies on past and present descriptions of what makes one open and equal in society. To me, freedom entails distributed rights and privileges to pursue life without limitations. A person who is truly free shouldn’t have to worry about voicing their opinion or participating in actions toward a cause.
American social movements gained momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War, as this time period opened up opportunities for the people to challenge the status quo and strive for a transformation. The events leading up to the Great War fueled several thoughts that questioned the international power and influence America truly held. Nonetheless, Americans wanted to make sure their powerful country was giving powerful freedom to their people. As promised in a democracy, the people are free to choose. Yet before 1920, American women were not capable of participating in the political field.
While fighting for democracy in international countries, Wilson failed to acknowledge women in America the right to vote. Thus, Americans were able to use the Great War to their advantage. By comparing and contrasting Wilson’s words and actions, the American social movements were able to quickly reach their goals and justifications. Once Wilson entered the Great War, the women’s suffrage organizations waited no longer than a minute to begin their protests. “When America entered the war, Carrie Catt and the traditional women’s suffrage organizations enthusiastically enlisted in the effort. Simultaneously, a new generation of college- educated activists, led by Alice Paul and organized in the National Women’s Party, pressed for the vote with militant tactics many older suffragists found scandalous” (Foner 171). The women were frustrated and aggravated that Wilson refused to give them the right to vote, yet pushed to spread democracy elsewhere. As a result, they strategically used the Great War to portray Wilson as a hypocritical figure of democracy.
In addition to women suffrage, black migrants began to carry a new visualization of opportunity socially and economically. During the Great War, blacks were still witnessing extreme racial violence. In an attempt to aware others of the lynching and segregation that went down in the South, W.E.B. Du Bois wrote several speeches on the conflict between whites and blacks. “Five years later, he joined with a group of white reformers in creating the NAACP, which launched a long legal struggle for the enforcement of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments” (Foner 173). By participating in the Great War, black soldiers were able to prove their capabilities of fighting for their country, America. Nevertheless, the Great War led to African Americans questioning their true definition of freedom. Once again, while Wilson worried about making the world safe for democracy he should have really been making the South safe for the African Americans.
In response to Ashley, the workers were indeed viewed as radical Americans who threatened the normal way of living. While some Americans supported the war, others extremely opposed the move. Thus, workers grabbed the opportunity to speak their mind and push for higher wages, an eight-hour workday, and recognition of unions. Overall, the Great War influenced and motivated plenty of transformations to take place. Lesson Learned: If the people of American desire a change, they will fight until their desire is fulfilled.
Sarah Berfond
Block B
American social movements gained momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War because the government under President Wilson undertook a massive public relations program to convince Americans to support the war against Germany. The government created the Committee on Public information (CPI) to explain the Americans “the cause that compelled America to take arms in defense of its liberties and free institutions.” Basically, the government was trying to brainwash the country into thinking that defeating Germany was protecting the basic freedoms enjoyed at home. Massive amounts of propaganda were distributed depicting the German Kaiser and German people as the evil hated antagonist. The CPI directed much of its attention to persuading labor and new immigrants that “our interest in justice and democracy begins at home.” Many groups took the concept of freedom, democracy and justice advanced by the CPI and used it to expand their causes. In the early 1900’s, African Americans although freed from slavery were still treated as second class citizens, denied equal rights and often subject to public lynching. The African Americans pointed out that the symbols of liberty portrayed by the CPI could not coexist with the brutal racial violence they faced. They used the freedom label as a strategy to convince the nation to change their ways. Women also latched onto the concept of American unity and freedom. The suffragette movement argued that women could not be free without the right to vote and that once they were granted the right to vote, they used the battle cry to demand equality in society. The labor movement was perhaps the group most greatly affected by World War I. The growth of the military industrial companies and support of American government for the factory owners created a difficult atmosphere for collective bargaining. The companies used the public support to avoid negotiating with labor unions and forced the workers to be more aggressive in demanding appropriate wages, reasonable hours and better working conditions.
Response to Elizabeth’s comment: I agree with your opinion regarding the reasoning behind the momentum of social movements during and after the time of the Great War. Many Americans believed they deserved the freedoms described by the CPI and protested and rallied to obtain them. Each group of people viewed freedom in a different manner therefore creating many movements and organizations.
Justin Lefkowitz
AP US History
B Block
In Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner explains that "the enlistment of democracy and freedom as ideological war weapons, qualities that set the country apart from German authoritarianism, inevitably inspired demands for their expansion at home."
During the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War, many unique American social movements gained momentum. During this time period, many unique social movements gained momentum because they felt that they could easily take advantage of the government when its mind was in another place. By this, I am trying to say that the government will be controlling one thing (war), and they will be trying to ignore whatever is going on back home (social movements) so that they will not get caught up in the drama and lose the Great War. Many social movements thought this way during the War. The women, the blacks, and the workers all gained more of power during this period. By power, I mean gaining more rights. The social movements of the women, blacks, and workers were the most successful because they knew that the government wouldn’t be able to ignore a crisis like a large scaled social movement, back home. As a result, the government would have to grant the social reformers almost whatever rights they wanted so that they could focus solely on the war overseas. During this time period, women gained the right to vote, workers gained more benefits in the workplace, and blacks were beginning to group together so they could fight for equality. The blacks were definitely the least successful of the groups because they did not gain any real rights until several decades later.
In response to Michelle’s question:
Freedom is being able to do whatever one wants to do. Freedom is something that should have no restrictions. If somebody wants to break a law, they should not be punished because of their freedom. But this is why freedom does not exist. Freedom is impossible to have in a society, unless some laws restrict it. This is why the United States has a Constitution: to restrict the freedoms as well as give them out.
American social movements gained momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War because people entered a euphoric state upon finding out that they made it through the First World War. With this new found joy, it could be said that people were putting their positive energy, and free time into new causes. Less focus was overseas, and more focus was placed on issues at home such as Women’s Suffrage, free speech groups and laborers.
Women’s suffrage was long debated until Woodrow Wilson’s presidency gave the girls a go at the polls. However, the pretext of the issue was of far more depth and importance, especially after WWI. After WWI, women felt a surge of sexual and consumer freedom. Women were cutting their hair, and the lengths of their skirts to show independence, and their fresh outlook on sexuality. When universal suffrage was granted to women, though still extremely conservative by today’s standards, really gave women a sense of freedom to do as they pleased. The understanding of this freedom is essential to fully comprehend the feminist movements during the 1960s and today. This was widely discussed in chapter eight, especially with the introduction of contraceptives and other forms of birth control. Women had more control over their bodies than they had before. Women could now control the size of her family to meet an income. It was a huge leap for women, and technology respectively.
During this time period, more free speech cases were fought over in Supreme Court than ever.
Labor movements were also fighting hard for their entitlements to good wages and better working hours. Concerns over abuses by business and the "robber barons" who exploited labor and the lack of government regulation of the marketplace also was a prevailing theme of those seeking reform. The sharp rise in economic activity spurred by industrialization and cheap labor contributed to concentrations of economic power among large national corporations and the formation of huge "trusts" as companies sought to eliminate their prime competitors. Between 1897 and 1904, 4,227 firms merged to form 257 corporations, with the largest merger consolidating nine steel companies to create the U.S. Steel Corp. controlled by Andrew Carnegie. By 1904, 318 companies controlled about 40 percent of the nation's manufacturing output. A single firm produced over half the output in 78 industries.
From 1907 to 1916, the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), an aggressive workers' union, carried out more than thirty free-speech demonstrations in the U.S. Socialist and anarchist speakers provoked local law enforcement officials with their inflammatory, pro-union, anti-capitalist speeches.
In conclusion thanks to free time, and new in-country devotion to issues within our own borders, social issues in the United States gained momentum.
why did American social movements gain momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War.
During the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War, social movements gained momentum for a variety of reasons.
In the temperance movement, feelings during the Great War boosted its popularity. With Anti German feelings, many Patriotic Americans simply despised anything German. Besides the rising attacks on Germans, Americans also began to despise beer, as there were a vast amount of breweries bearing German names. Progressives also argued since grain was a huge requirement of war, grain needed to be conserved better. On top of this, more and more members of the working class were beginning to believe beer led to unemployment, poverty and family violence. With increasing popularity, for instance the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union numbered 250,000 in the early 20th century, the prohibition of beer, which came about with the 18th amendment, was inevitable.
In the Woman’s suffrage movement, the reasoning behind the Great War positively boosted the woman’s suffrage. For instance, the NAWSA was able to use Wilson’s own words as an argument for giving women the right to vote. Wilson told the people of the US the war was to spread democracy, while suffragists like Alice Paul believed democracy should be spread to its fullest in the US first. Moreover, rising women respect helped. Because of a growing need for labor, many women had to work in commonly male dominated jobs like factory work. Thus, women showed they were hard working and thus had even more reasoning for the right to vote. In times of war, production is crucial. With this, Congress and the President were more obligated to meet the needs of women for fear of a massive protest reducing production and most importantly war needed products. With growing popularity the nineteenth amendment inevitably was ratified in 1919.
The labor movement was also able to benefit during the war because of higher production needs. With people going off to war and a decline in immigration from Europe, the US had less people in the workforce. Thus, the demand for labor intensified greatly, and the US government gained the onus of satisfying the needs of the workforce. For instance, in the duration of the war, the working class enjoyed a better standard of living caused by an increase in wages. At this time, the eith hour work day was accepted, and the NWLB settled many disputes between unions and employers, usually in favor of unions to prevent disruptions in production. With growing confidence in unions, the American Federation of Labor for instance rose to 2 million by 1914. However, after WWI, the government was no longer obligated to sympathize with unions.
In the end, the Great War brought about great opportunities to a variety of social movements and vastly affected the US after WWI.
There are many definitions of civil liberties, the right to vote, freedom of speech, etc. What is your definition of freedom?
In my opinion, freedom is an unrestrained person who can do what he or she pleases. However, these actions must be moral. Any nation who gives this to its people will be absolutely sublime, and I will move there immediately.
Sam Murphy
AP US History
The period immediately before the 'Great War,' and, indeed, the beginning period of the war itself was laced with more social rights movements than any other period in US history, and, as a result, more rights were gained for minority groups in that period than in any other period in American history. As Foner states in his book, The Story of American Freedom, freedoms that were emerging for ethnic groups were almost becoming a weapon against the German war machine in that the rights that were granted to the groups all boosted morale of those who supported the decisions, i.e. the common man and minority. For instance, the famous Women's suffrage movement which occurred before and during World War One and finally won success during the war no doubt boosted the morale and patriotism of women in America, who were invaluable as workers on the domestic front. This gave America a much-needed edge against the Germans, as did the other right movements of the era.
Another obvious rights movement from this time period was the fight of the workers for better working conditions and rights. While the Constitution does permit freedom to organize, many state governments denied workers the right to enter labor unions, and workers knew full well that joining a union could cost them their jobs. So, in the period right before the war, the workers organized and striked, which eventually led to them obtaining their rights. This led to better productivity and happier workers, which of course was vital to wartime morale.
The third rights movement that had a huge effect was that of the Temperance movement. As Marco mentioned, the Temperance movement had a huge amount of supporters, mostly because Americans 'despised anything German.' Also, the movement had existed for quite a long time, and it had many more reasons than the war to obtain what it wanted. However, unlike the other group's endeavors, which led to the boost of patriotism, the Temperance movement actually did more harm than good. The story of the Eighteenth amendment to the Constitution is one that is famous the nation over; the Temperance movement demands prohibition of alcohol, and their demands are met. So, of course, many businesses go out of business and illegal brewing begins, leading the nation into an era of crime unmatched by any other period in US history.
So, in short, the period before and during the 'Great War' was laced with rights being won, and not all of them were beneficial, but many were successful.
Anam Baig, Block B, 3/30/08
American social movements gained momentum during the period leading up to and immediately following the Great War. Public opinion was quite strong at the time, and many who supported or opposed the war openly discussed their opinions. Now that the US government declared war against nations that denied their citizens freedom and democracy, many citizens of the US considered the definition of freedom in their own nation. Progressives saw the war as a “golden opportunity” to teach Americans about the social injustices in American society. Social movements now pushed for their rights by exercising their freedom of speech.
One labor movement which became extremely popular before the war was the IWW or the Industrial Workers of the World. The IWW fought hard for the freedom of speech. It advocated workers’ rights and pressed to mobilize all workers who were not part of labor unions. Because the IWW rallied and conducted meetings outdoors, many of its members were sent to jail. There, they were subject to brutality, punished for speaking in public and refusing to censor their views. The brutality shown towards the IWW gave them more public support as a labor union. It was important for the public to be knowledgeable of the social injustices occurring in American society, and the IWW kept the passion and pursuit of liberty alive among the people. Using public speaking as their weapon, this labor union gained much support from Progressives and others who supported the pursuit of freedom and liberty.
The feminist movement gained higher ground during the time before and following WWI. Women such as Margaret Sanger and Emma Goldman vehemently spoke out against the injustices shown towards women. One major topic during this era was birth control, which Sanger was a adamant advocate of. She openly spoke about her opinions, challenging taboos against public speaking on sexual topics. She directly challenged laws banning contraceptive devices and information on them as obscene. Because of women like Sanger, the feminist movement became more popular and gained support from Progressives and socials keen on changing the role of women in society.
During the war, the black leaders of America saw the war as a way for blacks to fight for their rights as citizens of the US. Activists like WEB Du Bois supported black enlistment in the war to show that blacks were also patriotic and should be treated as equal citizens of the US. However, some felt that the US should be making the south safe for democracy rather than the world, because of the lynching which continued to plague many cities in the south.
Social movements gained momentum during this period because many people in the US were beginning to see the importance of democracy being followed at home. If the US was fighting a war to spread democracy around the world, what about the problems at home, in the US? There were many questions about freedom of speech during at time when the nation was at war. While the government attempted to quell free speech because of the war, many socialist movements used the war as a way to gain more support for their cause.
Michelle:
My definition of freedom is quite complex, because there are always disparities when it comes to the term freedom. I feel that freedom should be the right to decide your own future and your way of life. Freedom is also to express yourself without any fear of repercussions. Those who are free are those who have minds of their own, something they develop without the influence of the government or the media.
Social movements were so prevolent leading up to and after World War One because the citizens had more time and energy to focus on issues at home. During the war, most people were fixated on what is going on over seas, and how our soldeirs were doing. Most people had family memebrs in the army at that time, so their minds were fixated on how the war is affecting them and their loved once. However, when the war ended the people had more time to focus on domestic issues. For example, womens rights became a hot button issue during and after the war. Women such as Alice Paul, pressured President Wilson to extened their rights as US citizens, and in 1920 he did. This liberated many women, and gave them a new sense of freedom. As Foner says in chapter eight, women began separating sex from reproduction with the introduction of contraceptives. This allowed for women to sexually experiment freely, much like men did at the time.
Antoehr industry that greatly benefitted from the war was the agricultural industry. As the war dragged on, more and more American supplies were being shipped out over seas. Farmers greatly profitted from this, and as a result prices increased over most markets. Hoever, after the war agricultural needs went back to normal, and the American farmers were once again struggling to survive. Most farmers traded in their tractors for factory jobs just to keep their families from starving. Even today farmers are still struggling, however after WW1 ended, farmers struggled the most. They were often stuck with large surpluss' of food and no one to sell it to. Eventually, the surplus rotted away and the farmers were stuck with large piles of rotted food and not profit. The government rarely took notice of this, since the industrial markets were doing so good.
In Chapter 8 of The Story of American Freedom, Eric Foner details the momentum gained by American social movements during the period up to and immediately following the Great War due to the rising number of individuals protesting. In addition, during this time there was widespread propaganda throughout the country which influenced some Americans to take action. Three of these particular groups of people included women, laborers, and African Americans.
During this time, women were fighting for their right to vote. Women were finally taking a stand and led protests and even started organizations designed to help women. In addition, women began to be introduced into the labor market, thus demanding even more rights, such as access to birth control. The introduction of birth control served to separate sex from reproduction.
Workers were also fighting for their rights at this time. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) fought for the right to public expression. Despite the freedom of speech present at this time, the IWW was being told to “submit a schedule of [their] thoughts for official approval” (164). Many were sent to jail and brutally beaten, all for the right to speak freely. Therefore, the freedom that American propaganda was suggesting America had was not in fact true.
Lastly, African Americans were fighting for the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. At this time, hundreds of lynchings were occurring, including three black men falsely accused of rape. The NAACP was created in an attempt for racial equality. Many black leaders saw American participation in WWI as “an opportunity to make real the promise of American freedom” (173). By 1920 about half a million blacks left the south and received some advantages that were previously unheard of including: opportunities to educate their children, higher wages, and an escape from the threat of violence.
Michelle, my definition of freedom would be equality. By this, I mean no one is judged based on their color, race, income, etc. Instead, everyone is seen for their own personality and contributions to society. Of course, there are limitations, such as the protection of the common civilian, but on the whole everyone would have about the same amount of opportunities.
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American social movements such as the Women's Right to Vote, Defined Freedom of Speech, and "sex-o-clock" gained much momentum during the periods leading up to, during, and immediately after World War I. The Movement for women's right to vote was one that emerged in the early 1900's at full speed with Carrie Chapman Catt holding the reins. In the middle of the 1910's, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns separated themselves from the NAWSA and formed the NWP, which took a more militant approach to obtaining women's rights to vote. After picketing President Wilson in front of the White House and getting arrested for this act, fear of the Europeans gaining knowledge of women being denied the vote during WWI would lead to bad press. Even though President Wilson was not an advocate of women's rights, he passed the 19th amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
The question of how far the first amendment can stretch is one that was addressed in 1919, with Schenck v. United States. Charles Schenck brought up the question of whether he possessed first amendment rights for publishing a leaflet that opposed the draft, and encouraged others to do so. Thanks to Schenck v. United States, the "clear and present danger" test was set in action. The clear and present danger test is basically saying "can a person run into a crowded theatre and shout "fire" even if there isn't one? NO. This is putting the attendees in danger and is a crime."
"Sex-o-Clock" was the first sexual revolution, so to speak, of the century. With the invention of different birth control methoods, and their availability to the public, women were able to flaunt their sexuality in new ways. Gone were the days of virgin marriage and the need to have a child in the first year of marriage. This was now replaced by a new curiosity and "promiscuity" promising freedom from pregnancy and V.D.
Late again...
The concept of civil liberties was, in a sense, born during World War I. It was at this period that individuals began to seriously begin to lobby for their rights. After all, what were we fighting for “over there” if not for the freedom and America democracy that the United States offered? This is exemplified by the massive amounts of social movements present at the time. The Progressive Era wasn’t just progressive in regards to civil liberties; it was progressive in regards to social ones, too.
Perhaps the most obvious example of this would be the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Women received the right to vote with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in August of 1921. This was able to be accomplished because of the insistent nature of the suffragettes, who demanded the freedom and equality in America that the country was fighting for over in Europe.
Another rather obvious achievement would be the Eighteenth Amendment of Prohibition. The Temperance Movement had been lobbying for years to rid the nation of alcohol, but it was not until beer and liquor became associated with the enemy Germans that the movement became law. Many breweries and popular beers were German, and much of the barley being used for brewing could instead have been used to feed the soldiers. It was in this way that the Temperance Movement used anti-German sentiment and nationalism to their advantage.
A less obvious, but equally important example was the one that Michelle pointed out. Although unions and strikers did have a tough time at this period of no dissent and no free speech (after all, weren’t troops brought in to control strikers at one point?), by comparing autocratic employers with the totalitarian German Kaiser many workers were able to win an eight-hour work day.
American social movements, therefore, gained momentum during the Great War because the country was undergoing a period of self-examination, comparing itself to the other, less free countries over in Europe. In an effort to prove America “the land of the free,” to the enemies, America strove to clean up its image.
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